Helping A Brother
by Elypsus
Summary: This is a story of Naruto actually doing well in the academy, earning Sasuke's respect and friendship, and having a complete rivalry with him. From their academy days to their shinobi days.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey bastard!" Shouted Naruto Uzumaki, a second year academy student, as he spotted a familiar face walk into classroom.

"What do you want, screwup?" Asked Sasuke Uchiha, a fellow second year academy student, as he sat down next to the whiskered kid.

Naruto had spiky blond hair, blue eyes, three whisker marks on his cheeks, and orange jacket with no sleeves, a blue shirt under that, and a pair of grey shorts.

Sasuke had black hair which spiked in the back and framed his face, black eyes, a black, high collared shirt with the Uchiha crest on the back, and grey shorts.

"It's Friday, and the last day of school. You know what that means, right?" Asked Naruto with a splitting grin on his face.

"Of course I do. It means I'll finally settle the score and prove I'm better." Sasuke answered with a smirk. The two of them have been having a competition to see who was the best in taijutsu. The current score was 20-20. Today was the final chance to see who was the best among their class. The other students were no match for either of the clan heirs, apart from Kiba Inuzuka, but he was irrelevant once he was angry.

"I told you I was going to win this spar, like I have the last three spars." Explained Naruto.

"You got lucky those times." Argued the Uchiha.

"And the other seventeen times?" Asked the blonde.

"The horde of fangirls cheering us on distracted me." Sasuke explained quickly, playing the part of an embarrassed kid perfectly. . Both of them shuddered at the thought of their fangirls.

"I admit, they can be pretty distracting with their banshee-like screams, but that's no excuse." Argued the Uzumaki.

"Then why was I able to beat you in the twenty spars I won?" Asked Sasuke.

"You beat me fair and square." Naruto said with a shrug. Before Sasuke could retort, their sensei, Iruka, yelled at everyone.

"Quiet you snot-nosed brats!" Yelled Iruka. Everyone looked at him in stunned silence. He had never called them brats, let alone calling them beats of the snot-nosed variety. "Just kidding, but I seriously do want you to shut up." Iruka said with a smile.

Iruka wore a standard chunin outfit. He had a blue body suit with the Uzumaki swirl on each shoulder, a chunin vest, and his forehead protector on a blue cloth around his forehead. He had a scar running across the bridge of his nose and brown hair pulled into ponytail.

"I would like to congratulate you all on making it through your second year. Most of you have worked very hard to make it here." He pauses to look at a kid sleeping, a kid eating potato chips, and a kid playing with a white dog. "Anyway, it is Friday, so as per tradition, we will be holding friendly spars. Choose your opponent. Remember, if one person chooses you, you can either choose that person, too, or someone else." Anything after "opponent" fell on deaf ears as everyone started rushing around the room choosing their opponents.

 ***Time Skip***

"Begin!"

The first fight was underway. It was between Kiba Inuzuka, the kid with the dog, and Choji Akimichi, the kid eating potato chips.

Kiba had short brown hair, black eyes, red fang-like markings on his cheeks, a navy blue jacket zipped just below the middle of his sternum, below that was a fishnet shirt, he also had on tan colored shorts.

Choji Akimichi was a plump kid who had spiky, light brown hair, black eyes, swirls on his cheeks, a jacket that was half tan and half green, and shorts that were dark blue.

The match was decided quickly. Kiba dropped into his family's taijutsu style and pounded away on Choji until Mizuki, their taijutsu teacher, called the match to a stop.

"Kiba Inuzuka is the winner!" Announced Mizuki.

The next match was between Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno.

Ino was a blond girl with shoulder length hair, blue eyes, an orange shirt, and white shorts. She was the president of the Naruto Uzumaki Fan Club.

Sakura had pink hair tied out of her face with a red bow, green eyes, a red, long-sleeved shirt, and pink pants. She was the president of the Sasuke Uchiha Fan Club.

"Begin!"

"Come one, Forehead. Let me show my Naruto what I can do." Taunted Ino.

"Like you could do anything, Ino-pig. I'll show my Sasuke what I can do." Retorted Sakura.

"Someone attack!" Yelled Kiba.

With those words of encouragement, both parties launched attacks. Sakura knocked Ini out in one punch. Ino also knocked Sakura out in one punch.

"Um, I guess it's a tie." Announced Mizuki. "Get them to the infirmary!" Ordered Mizuki. Within seconds, a chunin had grabbed them both and took off into the academy.

"Okay, next is Hinata Hyuga versus Takahashi Yozuba." Both participants entered the circle and faced each other. Hinata dropped into her family taijutsu style, the gentle fist. Takahashi dropped into the academy style.

Hinata was the clan heir to Hyuga, therefore she had pale eyes, signifying she had Byakugan. She had dark blue hair cut short, a tan jacket with a purple shirt understand, and pale grey pants.

Takahashi had long black hair reaching his mid back, brown eyes, and wore a full body suit that was black.

"Begin!"

Immediately, Hinata activated her Byakugan, rushed forward, and delivered a palm strike to Takahashi's chest. He flew back, hit a tree, and was knocked unconscious.

"Winner, Hinata Hyuga." Announced Mizuki.

"Way to go Hinata!" Shouted Kiba.

"O-oh. Th-thank y-you." Hinata said while blushing and pushing her index fingers together.

"Wow, that was the quickest match I've ever seen. I didn't know she had it in her." Said Sasuke.

"I agree. I'm surprised she's not farther up on the class ranking." Naruto contributed.

"Winner, Mokuba Hana." Announced Mizuki.

"Did you see me win, Sasuke?" Asked Mokuba.

"Hn." Replied the Uchiha.

"Easy, emo." Said the blonde with a snicker.

"Shut up." Said Sasuke in an exasperated tone.

"Only if you win." Teased the Uzumaki.

"Winner, Suki Yaki" Mizuki announced.

"How did I do, Naruto?" Suki asked in a sweet tone.

"I wasn't paying attention" Naruto dead panned.

"Next is Shikamaru Nara versus Shino Aburame!" Shouted Mizuki.

"Can I just forfeit?" Asked a kid with his black hair in a pineapple bun, a grey shirt with the Nara clan symbol on it, and dark blue shorts.

"Don't you always?" Asked Shino Aburame. He had brown hair sticking, a white and orange sweatband around his forehead, a high collared, grey coat, and dark grey long shorts.

"Good point. I forfeit." Yawned Shikamaru.

"Winner by forfeit, Shino Aburame" Announced Mizuki in an exasperated tone.

"Wow, that's just like Shikamaru to forfeit." Naruto explained.

"I guess. I don't really care, as long as I get to fight you." Sasuke said.

"The feeling is mutual."

"Time for the final match up, Sasuke Uchiha versus Naruto Uzumaki." Announced Mizuki.

"Let's go and settle this year's score!" Exclaimed Naruto. Both of them went into the circle, both dropping into their separate taijutsu styles.

"Begin!"

 **A/N:This is an idea I've had in my head or quite some time now. The idea has developed enough that I'm ready to start typing it up. Just like my other story, this will not be prewritten. But unlike my other story, this one will have no pairing.**

 **I also did research, and that's how I came up with the scoring for their taijutsu spars. Every Friday, the class has a spar, and there are 41 weeks, by my count, in a Japanese school year, excluding holidays that fall on Friday.**

 **Thanks for reading this chapter, and I strongly encourage you to read my other story as well.**


	2. Bad News

***Beginning of Winter Semester, Year 3***

"Naruto Uzumaki, you are to report to the Hokage immediately." The ANBU told Naruto. With his orders complete, he disappeared in a body flicker, leaving a swirl of leaves and wind in his wake.

'Hmm, I wonder why I'm being called by the old man.' Pondered the shinobi in training. 'Well, I better get moving.'

 ***Time Skip***

"Hey old man, I'm here!" Shouted the blonde as he barged into the Hokage's office, not bothering to knock.

With one look at his surrogate grandfather's face, Naruto automatically became serious. Usually when he arrived, the old man had a smile on his face. Very rarely did he walk into his office and see a frown etched into the elderly man's face.

"I believe you might want to sit down." Said Hiruzen, gesturing to the couch on the side of the room. "There has been an incident involving the entire Uchiha clan."

"What happened to Sasuke? Is he alright?" Naruto asked, worry evident in his voice.

"Do not fret so, my boy. Sasuke is alright. But he will be in the hospital for a week or two." Explained the Sarutobi clan head.

"A week!? What about the academy?" Asked Naruto.

"I was hoping you could help with that. Everyday after class, Iruka will give you the papers you worked on in class, and you will explain to him how to work out any new subjects you cover." Hiruzen told the blonde.

"I guess that's fine. I was probably going to visit him everyday after school anyways. Can I go see him now?" Naruto asked.

"I do not see why you can not. Let me accompany you." Sarutobi told him. In short order, the jinchuriki and the Hokage were walking down the street.

The walk took longer than it would have if Naruto had gone alone. They had to stop many times as people often talked to the Hokage about their problems. Most of the time, he would offer to do what he could, but on occasion, he was pulled aside for small  
/talk.

After another twenty minutes of walking, the strange pair finally made it to the hospital. Many of the doctors and nurses saw the "Kyuubi", and started glaring at him, but one look from the Hokage quickly ended the stares.

After another five minutes of walking, they made it to the Uchiha's room. Naruto quickly ran over to him, clearly worried for his best friend and rival, who seemed to just be staring out the window with an expression of anger.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" Naruto asked. Although he was addressed, Sasuke showed no signs of hearing the blonde.

"Calm down Naruto, Sasuke is tired, and has been through a great deal." The old man said.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll probably hear about it sooner or later, so I don't see the harm in telling you. Well last night, the entire Uchiha clan was killed, save for Sasuke and the perpetrator." Explained Hiruzen.

"What!? Who could do such a thing?" Asked Naruto in all his naivety.

"My brother, Itachi." Growled out Sasuke, speaking for the first time since he's woken up.

"Sasuke! I'm glad you're okay. Did Itachi really do that?" Exclaimed the blonde.

"Yes, I saw him with my own eyes. I saw him standing over our parents, a bloodied katana in his hands. He told me to hate him, and to kill him one day. Then he tortured me for three days." Explained the last Uchiha.

"But all this happened only last night."

"Naruto, my boy, Sasuke was put in a genjutsu. It seemed like it was three days to him, but in reality was only a couple seconds. He's been unconscious due to the mental strain." Explained Sarutobi.

"Well don't worry, Sasuke, I'll help you kill him." Declared Naruto.

Sasuke and Sarutobi were both surprised by the blonde's declaration.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, I have to do this on my own." Admitted Sasuke.

"Well then how about we both get incredibly strong together, then, when you decide to fight Itachi, I help you get to him, and protect you from other enemies while you take him down?" Asked Naruto.

"I, well, I guess that's fine. But don't forget, I'm already ahead of you I our spars, so that means you have some catching up to do." Sasuke said, smirking for the first time since he's been awake.

"What!? That's a lie! We're tied for this year!" Yelled Naruto in indignation.

"Have you forgotten about last year's final spar? I beat you fair and square." the Uchiha explained.

"That doesn't count! It's been a full semester. I've grown much stronger!" Shouted Naruto.

"Now boys, I think that's enough. Naruto, I think it's about time we head out. Sasuke is probably tired." Suggested the old man.

"Fine. I'll see you tomorrow, Sasuke." Said Naruto.

"Yeah, see you later. Thank you for visiting me, Lord Hokage." Sasuke said.

"Think nothing of it. I'm just glad Naruto has a friend." Hiruzen then waved a farewell.

"Hey! I have other friends!" Yelled Naruto as they both walked out the door, the Hokage shutting it behind him.

"Thank you, Naruto." Whispered Sasuke.

 ***Two Weeks Later***

Naruto has been taking Sasuke's class work to him everyday for the last two weeks. They hadn't gone over any new subjects, just doing a review of the last two and a half years they've been in the academy.

Even though there was nothing to help him with, Naruto usually stayed with Sasuke until visiting hours were over, just talking about random things.

When the Uchiha was finally released from the hospital, it was Saturday morning, which meant he had almost a full week to train. Naruto was most likely in first place for the class rankings due to him being gone for two weeks. He had a lot of ground to  
/make up.

Sasuke was on his way to a training ground when he remembered what Naruto said.

 _"Well then how about we both get incredibly strong together, then, when you decide to fight Itachi, I can help you get to him, and protect you from other enemies while you take him down?"_

'This is all to defeat Itachi.' Thought Sasuke. With that thought in mind, the Uchiha turned down an alley and made his way to his best friend's house.

 ***Time Skip***

"Woah, you really want to train with me? What happened to always wanting to train alone?" Asked the Uzumaki.

"Like you said, we're both going to get extremely strong. Together." Replied the Uchiha.

"Right! Well how are we going to do this?"

"Well I was thinking we could just spar."

"But that will just get us use to each other's attacks. We need an all around improvement."

"Hey, speak for yourself."

"You know what I meant. Well what's your training regiment?"

"Well, I usually just repeatedly go through my taijutsu katas, getting faster each time."

At this, Naruto sweat dropped. "How do I lose to you? Is that really all you do?"

"Yeah, is something wrong with that? I like speed."

"Well how about we go with my training regiment?"

"What's that? Two push ups and hopping in one foot?"

"Close. Two sets of twenty push-ups and pull-ups, four sets of twenty sit-ups, and a five mile fun."

"What? Then how do I beat you?"

"I just started this work out when you got put in the hospital. Before that, it wasn't even half that."

"Well let's get started with the run."

"Okay, let's go."

With that, both academy students took off running around the training field.

 **A/N:Thanks for the support, Rekster707. I've been meaning to put this chapter up, but you gave me the push to do it.**


	3. Graduation

—

 ***Graduation Test Day***

"Are you ready, Sasuke?" Asked Naruto. "We're finally going to get out of this academy, and into some real missions and training."

Naruto now wore black shinobi pants, a fishnet shirt, and a long, black trench coat over it. The trench coat hid his kunai holster on his right thigh, and his equipment pouch on the back of his hip.

"What do you call 200 push-ups and pull-ups, 500 sit-ups, and a fifteen mile run everyday, all with 20 pound weights on?" Asked the Uchiha.

Sasuke wore a black, shortsleeved shirt with a high collar and the Uchiha crest at the base of the collar on the back. He wore a black pair of shorts with multiple pockets, and his kunai holster on his right thigh. His hands and forearms were wrapped  
/up with white tape.

"A warmup." Was Naruto's simple reply.

"Whatever, loser." Sasuke said coolly.

Before Naruto could get the chance to respond to his friend, Iruka started the introduction.

"Good morning, everybody." Started Iruka, getting multiple, halfhearted "morning"s in response. "We will now begin the graduation tests. First section is a written exam."

There was a chorus of groans emanating from the class, with the exception of five students. Shikamaru Nara, as he was sleeping, Shino Aburame, as he believes that would be illogical, Hinata Hyuga, as she was staring at a certain dog lover, and finally  
/Naruto and Sasuke. They just knew that could easily ace the test.

After all of the tests were passed out, Iruka gave the signal to start. As soon as that happened, every student flipped their paper over, wrote their name, and began reading the first question.

many kunai and shuriken are needed for a basic D rank mission?

Naruto had to go through all the information he had on missions and their required equipment.

After a few moments of contemplation, Naruto stumbled upon a realization. D rank missions are, for the lack of a better word, chores of the village. Therefore, weapons of any kind would not be needed.

'This is just a trick question to throw people off.' Thought Naruto. 'I'm sure Sasuke saw through it as easily as I did.'

Right next to Naruto, Sasuke was having similar thoughts to his blonde friend's.

"Did they seriously think any of us would fall for this trick? Well, besides the fangirls.' Sasuke thought with a shudder. 'I'm sure Naruto saw through it as easily as I did.'

The remainder of the test was quickly passed through by the two top students. This was obvious, as ten minutes after the test had begun, both students stood up simultaneously, and walked to the front, each getting cheers from their respective hordes of  
/fangirls.

'Kill me now.' They both thought with a sweat drop. They then returned to their respective seats, avoiding eye contact with any life form as much as possible.

Once they were seated, another twenty minutes went by before the last of the tests were turned in.

"Okay, class, seeing as our weekly spars told me everything about your taijutsu I need to know, when I bring you into the next room for the ninjutsu portion, I will give you your overall score." Stated Iruka. "First up is Shino Aburame. Follow me." Once  
/Iruka was finished speaking, he grabbed the completed test and walked into the next room with Mizuki and Shino following shortly.

"Hey, Sasuke, who do you think is going to make Genin?" Asked the blonde Uzumaki.

"The clan heirs will most likely pass, either by skill or intimidation, I'm not sure. Kiba will probably make it through with his taijutsu. That Takahashi guy might make it passed, he seems to be somewhat skilled. Other than that, I'm not too sure." Replied  
/the Uchiha.

"That's a pretty fair assessment. And your opinion on teams from your view on the potential Genin?" Asked the seemingly curious blonde.

"Hmm, well let's see. There's three Genin on a team. They'll most likely want the Ino-Shika-Cho trio again. Then, seeing who's left, using Hinata, Kiba, and Shino, they'll make a tracking squad. That leaves me, you, and Takahashi. That is, if my predictions  
/are correct." Deduced the ravenette.

"Do you believe that your predictions are incorrect?" Asked the living 20 questions.

"There's always a chance of maling a mistake. For instance, The Pink Banshee could actually pass, become a Genin, and get placed on a team with us." Sasuke said, eliciting a shudder from both of the genin-to-be.

"I really hope you're right about team placements." Replied Naruto.

"Sasuke Uchiha. You're up." Stated Iruka as he poked his head through the door. Once his announcement was finished, he pulled his head back into the room.

"Good luck, bastard." Called out Naruto as Sasuke was about to walk through the door.

"As if I'll need it, loser." Stated the Uchiha before walking through the door.

"Arrogant prick." Muttered Naruto.

"Hey Naruto."

"Ahhh!" Naruto screamed, falling out of his seat. "Don't do that, Ino."

"Sorry, I just wanted to sit next to you." Replied Ino, who wore a purple blouse and skirt, with wrapping on her torso.

"Yeah, whatever." Was Naruto's reply.

"Don't be like that. Don't you want to go on on a date with me?" Asked the platinum blonde.

'Might as well take a page from the bastard's book.' Thought Naruto. "Hn."

"And you say I'm emo. Get out of my seat, Ino." Demanded Sasuke, wearing his new forehead protector, as he approached the two blondes. Once her name left his mouth, Ino immediately complied with the command.

"Naruto Uzumaki. You're up." Called out Iruka. Naruto quickly got up and walked towards Iruka.

"Good luck, loser." Called out Sasuke.

"Wow, Sasuke, you're so considerate." A certain Pink Banshee fawned over the black-clad genin.

'Why do I have to deal with the banshee? I wonder if Naruto will trade fangirl clubs.' Pondered Sasuke.

Meanwhile, in the exam room, Naruto was being lectured on what he needed to do in order to pass.

"Okay, Naruto, do a substitution, transformation, and/or clone. You need to do two out of the three to pass. You may begin."

With a quick ram seal, Naruto went up in smoke. When the white cloud had dissipated, in his place was Kakashi Hatake. Kakashi wore the standard Jounin outfit, which consisted of black shinobi pants, a black, long sleeved shirt with an Uzumaki swirl on  
/each shoulder, and a Jounin flak jacket. He also wore a face mask that covered everything below his nose. His forehead protector was pulled down over his left eye, leaving the only actual visible part of his face, his right eye. His hair was a strange  
/greyish-silver, that spiked up to the left.

"Good job, Naruto. Now you can either do the substitution or th-" Before Iruka could complete his sentence, Naruto, still transformed into Kakashi, erupted into smoke. The smoke quickly dissipated, revealing Mizuki where Naruto was. When Iruka looked  
/beside him, he saw 'Kakashi' sitting in Mizuki's seat.

"Once again, good job, Naruto. You can have your pick of forehead protectors." Stated Iruka.

With those words, Naruto stood up, grabbed a basic forehead protector with a black band, and walked out of the room while tying it to his belt loop, which was underneath his coat.

As the blonde walked out of the room, everyone was surprised to see that he didn't have a forehead protector. Sasuke was the first to speak up.

"Hey loser, did you actually fail?"

"Of course not," replied Naruto. "I just like my placement better than where it usually goes." As he said this, he parted his trench coat slightly to show off the metal with the Leaf village's insignia carved into it.

"Oh Naruto, you're so cool." Cooed Ino.

"Sasuke's better. He's probably rookie of the year." Argued Sakura.

"As if. Naruto is way better. Have you seen those whiskers? They are totes adorbs." Stated Ino.

"Alright, class, settle down." Commanded Iruka. Once everyone was seated and quiet, albeit the use of a Big Head Jutsu was needed, he continued. "Although many of you did not pass, I'm still proud of each and every one of you. Only half of our original  
/class has made it this far. Although some of you did not pass, do not look down upon yourselves, for if you give up now, you will ruin your chances of ever becoming a talented shinobi. Keep practicing, and once your remedial lessons are through, I'm  
/sure you will pass. For those of you who made it through this time around, meet back here in one week for team assignments. You are all dismissed."

"Hey Naruto, wanna go on a date with me? You know, celebrate us becoming ninja." Asked a hopeful Ino.

"Yeah, that's a good idea, how about it, Sasuke?" Asked an equally hopeful Sakura.

"Umm, sorry, we have things to do." Replied Naruto.

"Yeah, training and stuff like that." Continued Sasuke.

"See ya!" They both finished before running out of the door.

 ***Time Skip***

"Man, we barely made it out of there." Huffed an exhausted Sasuke.

"Tell me about it. But it does look like you were wrong, the banshee passed." Stated Naruto.

"Damn, I guess you're right. I just hope she's not on our team." Replied Sasuke.

"I agree, that would be torture. More for you than for me, but torture nonetheless."

"Ugh, don't remind me. Fangirls are the bane of all great shinobi. The Fourth Hokage, the Legendary Sannin, you and me, and countless others."

"Agreed. Well, let's start training. We only have a week before we do that official Genin test."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I wonder what it'll be."

"Well, it all depends on our sensei. Anyway, enough talk, let's take the run up to 20 miles. Let's go."

"Are you serious? You're such a slave driver." Even as he was complaining, Sasuke took off after the retreating blonde.

The next day has Naruto at the Hokage's tower turning in his ninja ID photo. It was a fairly basic picture of Naruto simply standing in place with his trench coat covering most of his body. But there was one problem.

"You need to retake it." Stated the Hokage.

"What? Why?" Questioned the blonde.

"You must have your forehead protector in plain view." Replied the elderly man.

"Whatever, I'm not retaking it. No matt-" His response was cut off by a little kid rushing into the room.

"I've got you now old man!" Shouted the small boy, before promptly tripping over his scarf. He quickly got up, trying to discover who tripped him. He soon spotted Naruto.

"You tripped me, didn't you!?" Shouted the small boy, pointing and accusing finger at the older boy.

"What!? Why you little brat." Naruto replied, picking up the boy by the scruff of the neck. He reared back his first, about to punch him in the head, when he heard a voice come from the door.

"Honorable grandson, you must not rush off like that." Called out a man in dark glasses, a bandanna styled forehead protector, and the basic Jounin outfit, minus the flak jacket. The man suddenly froze when he saw the infamous 'demon brat' holding the  
/honorable grandson.

'I can't let that… thing near the honorable grandson any longer. There's no telling how he might poison the young boy's mind." The apparent Jounin thought.

"Unhand Lord Third's grandson, you filthy pest."

'Filthy pest? So he's just like the villagers.'

'Ha, now that he knows that I'm the Hokage's grandson, there's no way he'll hit me.'

Naruto soon came back into focus, and punched the young Sarutobi's head, forcing him out of Naruto's hand, and to the floor.

'He…he actually hit me.'

'That demon brat hit the honorable grandson.'

"Whatever, I'm out of here. See ya later, old man." Said Naruto as he walked out of the door, leaving two stunned males of differing ages. The first to recover was the older male.

"Now Honorable Grandson, you must never associate with the likes of that boy again. Follow my instructions, and you will be on the fast track to becoming Hokage. Now, let's get ba-" The man paused, looking around for the young boy. "Where did he go!?"

"I believe he followed after Naruto." Supplied the Hokage.

"Oh no, I must not let him corrupt the Honorable Grandson." Shouted the man, before running off towards the two younger males.

'Oh Ebisu, what happened to you?' Pondered the old Hokage.

Naruto was walking down the streets, contemplating on what he should do now that he had turned in his ID photo. Before he could come to a solution, he saw someone holding up a sheet meant to blend in with the fence. But there were two problems. The most  
/obvious being the hands and feet of the perpetrator were clearly visible. The second being the the sheet was sideways. Completely throwing off the intended camouflage.

'There's only one person I know that could be so clumsy to actually mess up camouflage this badly.' Thought the blonde. Without missing a step, Naruto threw four kunai, effectively nailing the small boy to the fence.

"Hey! Get me out of here!" Shouted the trapped boy.

"You got yourself caught in that trap by using such a poor disguise. Get yourself out." Replied Naruto while continuing his stroll.

* * *

He was walking for a few more minutes when he stumbled upon an idea. He then jumped into an alley as fast as he could without being noticed. Who walked out was a boy around fourteen. He had shaggy brown hair that fell just below his ears. He had a dark  
/green hue in his irises. He wore black shorts with a white tank top. He wore his forehead protector in it's rightful place.

He continued his trek, taking a few turns until he stopped in front of the store he was looking for: Upon's Weapon and Equipment Store. The brunette walked through the door, immediately being hit with a blast of cool air.

"Hello, young man, how may I help you?" Asked an elderly woman, who Naruto figured was Upon.

"Hmm, well I was wondering if you had two sets of 30 pound leg weights."

"I believe I do. Go check in that rack over their." Said Upon, while pointing at a rack near the entrance.

"Thank you, ma'am." Replied Naruto, before walking over to the designated rack. Here, he found multiple different weights. Ranging from five pound arm and leg weights, to 100 pound arm and leg weights.

'Ah, here they are.' With that thought, Naruto grabbed two packages of 30 pound leg weights and took them back up to the front desk.

"Will that be all?" Came the kind voice of Upon.

"For now, yes." Stated the still-transformed Naruto.

"Your total is 6,000 ryo." After Naruto payed the required amount, Upon continued with "Have a nice day."

"You too." Came the reply.

Once Naruto was out of the store, he quickly jumped into another alley, and came back out as the real him, not five seconds later.

'Now, time to get back to my apartment.' Thought the blonde. He then jumped onto a roof, and started traveling by rooftop towards his place.

 **A/N: This is definitely my longest chapter yet. Over 2500 words. That's definitely an accomplishment for me.**  
 **  
**

 **To Alonglongwaytorun: Sorry about that, there were some mess ups with the story, so I decided to delete it and redo it.**

 **This will be my last chapter for at least a week. Km going to Texas until the 15th, so I can't update until at least then, but it does leave me plenty of time to write, so there's a plus.**

 ****

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Until next time.**


	4. Team Meetings and Old Faces

**A/N: Okay, so I may or may not have forgotten to write during my trip to Texas, but it's getting near the point in the story that actually made me write this fan fiction in the first place, so I really want to get there before any ideas of the upcoming scenes leave my neuron-less brain.  
**

 ****

 **Warning: minor(it's actually quite major) Sakura-bashing.**

 ****

 ***Team Placement Day***

"Finally, we find out the teams. I've been waiting all weak for this." Stated an annoyed blonde.

"Can you calm down a bit? I've been waiting for this too, but you don't see me complaining." Replied his best friend and rival.

"Yeah yeah, whatever, Bastard. I just hope we're on the same team." Said Naruto Uzumaki, the previously mentioned blonde, while looking around.

He saw a lot less faces than he had the week previous. Of all his classmates, only Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara, Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga, Takahashi Yozuba, Sakura Haruno, and, his best friend, Sasuke Uchiha.

"Hey, Loser, I have a question." Said the Uchiha.

"Shoot."

"Okay, so the teams are constructed of three Genin and one Jonin. So what's going to happen with the tenth person?" Asked Sasuke.

"Well usually, the dead last would be held back, but word on the street is the odd man out, though I didn't get a name, is going to be an apprentice." Answered Naruto.

"Huh, then it has to be Takahashi. There is no way someone would willingly apprentice a Banshee. But damn, that means the Banshee is going to be placed on our squad." Realized Sasuke.

"Kill me. Seriously, kill me. I don't want to be alive if I'm on her team." Deadpanned the Uzumaki.

Before the technical clan heir could reply, their former sensei, Iruka Umino, walked through the door. Everyone groaned, seeing that he was about to recite an overly long speech.

"Oh quiet. I'm not going to do some long, dramatic speech. I just wanted to congratulate you all once more for a job well done." Began Iruka. "You ten have done exceptionally well from the moment you all stepped through those academy doors those four  
years ago. Some did better in certain subjects than others. But there are students who deserve the top ranking for their respective genders. The Kunoichi of the Year is Sakura Haruno," Iruka stopped for applause, though none ever came. "for learning  
the three jutsus the quickest, and having the highest in scores for theory and almost the highest in taijutsu spars for the females. The Rookie of the Year was Naruto Uzumaki-"

"Ha, eat that, Forehead!" Shouted Ino.

"-and Sasuke Uchiha-"

"You were saying, Ino-pig?" Screeched the Banshee.

"-usually, there is only one Rookie of the Year, but these two had the exact same scores in everything this year. At first, the other teachers thought you two cheated, but they soon realized that the few questions that were missed on each of your papers,  
were different." Stated Iruka.

"Man, he said it was going to be short." Whispered Naruto.

"I don't think he's done." Replied Sasuke, in the same whisper.

"So without further ado, I present to you, Squad 7, consisting of the Kunoichi of the Year, and the two Rookies of the Year." Finished the Umino.

"HA. I'M ON SASUKE'S TEAM, AND YOU AREN'T ON NARUTO'S. NOW YOU HAVE EVEN LESS OF A CHANCE WITH HIM." Screeched a Banshee, aiming her obnoxious sound waves at her blonde rival.

"I know we saw this coming, but it's so much more painful knowing that we were correct." Stated Naruto in a depressed voice.

"I agree. Maybe we can ask the Hokage for a transfer. Do you think he'd let Takahashi on our team?" Asked an equally depressed Sasuke.

"I doubt it, but it couldn't help to try." Replied Naruto.

"-now go have lunch, and your Jonin sensei should be here some time after that." Finished Iruka.

With those words everybody quickly filed out of the classroom, with the exception of Shikamaru, as he was still sleeping, Naruto and Sasuke, as they usually ate in the classroom, and Sakura, who was more than likely going to try and get a date with Sasuke.

"Huh, I guess he announced the other teams while we were talking. Observed Naruto.

"You mean while you were talking, Loser." Corrected Sasuke.

"Exactly, while you were talking, Bastard." Replied the blonde.

"HEY NARUTO, STOP TALKING TO MY SASUKE LIKE THAT!" Screeched an angry Banshee.

"Yeah yeah, whatever you say, Pinky." Replied Naruto while lazily waving her off.

"WHY YOU LITTLE-"

"Sakura, leave us alone." Stated Sasuke in a monotone voice.

"O-okay, Sasuke." Replied Sakura, meekly.

"Now leave." Said Sasuke, in the same tone.

"But-" protested Sakura.

"Leave." Said Sasuke, this time in a more commanding voice.

Without another word, Sakura quickly walked away.

"I hope that continues to work." Naruto chuckled.

"You're not the only one. Anyways, let's start eating. Our Jonin sensei could show up any minute now." Replied Sasuke.

"Good point." With those final words from the blonde, the both started to eat their food. Little did they know, their sensei would be the infamous ninja, Kakashi Hatake.

They had met him about a half a year after the Uchiha Massacre. They were both training at the Uchiha compound when…

 ***Flashback***

Naruto and Sasuke were sparring in the Uchiha compound after they had gotten out of the academy early that day. Sasuke was winning, though he was using his Sharingan.

After Itachi had… done what he had done, Sasuke unlocked his Sharingan, though it was temporarily sealed, but with Naruto's help, he was able to access it.

They both suddenly stopped, both panting heavily. "You know, I would actually win if you didn't have that stupid, pinkeye infection."claimed the blonde.

"First off, don't bad mouth the Sharingan, it's helped my clansmen for many generations. Second, I highly doubt that." Finished Sasuke.

"Oh yeah? Then let's make a bet. For now on, you aren't allowed to use the Sharingan in any of our spars. Academy based or not." Stated Naruto, putting his hand out for him to shake.

"But I literally just reactivated it. It took us this long to get it working again, now nobody knows about it, and won't discover I have it, unless I use it against you, as you're my only worthy opponent." Stated Sasuke.

"That's actually a good thing." Announced a new voice.

The sudden appearance of someone new made both academy students get into defensive positions next to each other. When they caught sight of the newcomer, they saw a man in his late teens to early twenties, gravity defying, silver hair, a face mask covering  
all but his eyes, though his forehead protector covered his left one, and the normal Jonin outfit.

"Yo."

"Who are you?" Asked Naruto, being the more outspoken of the two.

No one, really. I was just passing through and heard you two sparring. I thought I could give you a few pointers." Replied the man.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Asked a skeptical Sasuke.

"You don't, but either take my advice, or you can continue training without a guiding hand." Offered the magical-haired man.

"…What were you saying about me not showing people my Sharingan?" Asked a curious Sasuke.

"Oh, that's easy," began the man. "a shinobi's greatest weapon is deceit. If you let people know all the tools you have before you even start fighting, you're that less likely to win."

"Are you a shinobi, um…?" Asked Naruto.

"Yes, I am. And you can cal me by my old ANBU name, Inu."

"What's ANBU?" Asked Naruto.

"We can save that for another time. For now, I can help you train your physical aspects, rather than your mental ones." Explained Inu.

 ***Flashback End***

Once the two boys finished their eating, they started talking about how they would trade Sakura for Takahashi. It didn't take long for the other students to file back into the room. About ten minutes after that, two adults came in.

The male wore the normal Jonin outfit, with the only difference being a white, triangular sash with the kanji for fire tied around his waist. His forehead protector was tied snugly around his forehead, keeping his relatively short hair pushed back. His  
beard, the same triangular shape as his sash, was black, like his hair, and connected to his side burns, which disappeared into his forehead protector.

The female had a wrapping-like dress which had thorns along the entirety of each individual strap. The dress itself came just above mid thigh, though there was gauze covering her more, um… private areas. She had a long red sleeve on her right arm, and  
gauze wrapped around each wrist. She also had black hair that reached just below her shoulders, and red eyes, not dissimilar the Sharingan.

"Squad 8, come with me." Said the female before walking off.

"Squad 10, come with me." Said the male before walking the opposite direction.

After their respective teams teams had followed them, though it took a bit of Choji prodding Shikamaru to wake up, the only ones that were left were Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Takahashi.

"So we're either squad seven or nine." Stated Naruto.

"You're squad seven." Stated Takahashi in a monotone voice, not taking his eyes off the window.

"Um, thanks."

Naruto slowly turned back towards Sasuke and, not so subtlety, whispered "Man, that guy kind of freaks me out."

"I think he heard you." Stated Sasuke in a normal voice.

Sure enough, when Naruto turned to look at the other boy, he was glaring at the blond.

"Uhh, hey, what's up?" Asked an embarrassed Naruto.

Without a word, Takahashi turned back to look out the window.

"WHEN IS OUR SENSEI GETTING HERE!? HE IS LATE!" Screeched Sakura.

'We're going to be spending an undetermined amount of time listening to her screeching.' Naruto and Sasuke simultaneously thought. It was at that moment that the door decided to open.

'Maybe that's our sensei.' Thought Naruto hopefully.

The man that walked through the door wore the standard Jonin outfit. He had heavy bags under his eyes. A bandana-styled forehead protector on his head that covered most his short brown hair, though a tuft of it fell out between his eyes. He also had a  
sword strapped to his back.

"Takahashi Yozuba, you're… my apprentice. Come... with me" stated the sickly man, coughing every so often.

Takahashi quickly stood up and briskly walked towards the door. Seeing that he was being followed, the ill-looking man walked out the door.

"Lucky." Muttered Naruto.

 ***Two Hours Later***

"DAMN IT! HE'S NOT HERE YET! WHERE THE FU-" Sakura's screech was interrupted with three calmly stated word.

"Sakura, shut up." Stated Sasuke. It's been like this for the previous two or so hours. The Banshee would start screeching, the Sasuke would calmly tell her to shut up.

Currently, Naruto was drawing a final farewell to Iruka in his desk. If one were to ask Naruto what he was drawing, his simple answer would be "A masterpiece."

"Hey Loser, can I see what you're drawing?" Asked the Uchiha.

"No, it's not finished yet." Came the reply.

"You've been working on it for almost two hours and it looks like you've covered the entire thing in scribbles and drawings." Sasuke fired back.

"…aaaaaaand, done." Stated Naruto as he put the finishing touches on his "masterpiece". Then he looked to Sasuke. "Okay, you can come see it now."

Right as Sasuke stood up, the door opened, and in came a man that wore the standard outfit. He wore fingerless gloves with metal plates on the back, a mask that covered all but his eyes. Though his forehead protector covered his left one, leaving only  
his right eyes visible. His most defining feature, and probably the most peculiar, was his hair. It was a grayish-silver, and it shot up to the left.

"Is this Squad 7?" The man asked.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Came the screech of a certain pinkette.

"I'll take that as a yes. Meet me on the roof in five minutes." Without waiting for a reply, he proofed away.

"Damn you, Inu. Now I can't look at the loser's drawings." Huffed Sasuke before running off towards the roof. Naruto and Sakura quickly.

 ***Roof***

Sasuke and Sakura were both breathing heavily, the latter more so. Naruto was just a tad out of breath.

Sakura was sat on the right of Sasuke, and Naruto on his left.

"It's you!" Naruto shouted.

Once Sasuke caught his breath, he said "What's up, Inu?"

"Nothing much. How's the training going?" Inu asked.

"Not bad. Though now that you're our sensei, I'm sure Naruto and I will progress much quicker, seeing as you can teach us full time." Came his answer.

"Sharp as ever, Sasuke. Anyways, let's get through introductions. Just say things about yourself. You know, name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams." Explained Inu.

"YOU WERE LATE, YOU GO FIRST!" Screeched Sakura.

"Is she always like this!" Asked Inu.

"Pretty much." Naruto answered.

"Fine. My name is Kakashi Hatake. I like some things, I dislike some things. I have multiple hobbies, and my dream? Huh, I've never really thought about it." Kakashi said.

"WE ONLY LEARNED YOUR NAME!"

"I'm happy with that much." Stated Naruto.

"Okay, Ban- I mean, Pinky, you go first." Commanded Kakashi.

"MY NAME IS SAKURA HARUNO, NOT PINKY. My likes are…" she looks to her left and blushes while giggling. "MY DISLIKES ARE NARUTO AND INO-PIG! My hobbies are..." she looks to her left and blushes while giggling. "My dreams for the future are…" she looks  
to her left and blushes while giggling.

'Great, a fangirl.' Thought Kakashi. "Okay, Sasuke, go."

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha-" there was a loud squeal. "-I like few things, and I hate many, especially fangirls." He looks to his right with a glare. "My hobbies are training with Naruto and getting stronger. My dream is more than a dream, because I will  
make it a reality. It is to kill a certain someone with the help of Naruto." Finished Sasuke.

"Very good." Said Kakashi. 'I'm not sure if he's a flight risk. Maybe Naruto can help with that.' "Okay, Naruto."

"Nah."

"Oh, okay. Wait, what!?" Asked a confused Kakashi.

"You all know my name, and you and Sasuke know everything. Else you asked for. I couldn't give a damn if Sakura knew about me, so I won't tell her." Explained Naruto.

"Very well. Everyone, meet at training ground 7 at 7 tomorrow." Told Kakashi. Though his only response was laughter. "Is there something funny, Naruto?"

"We're Squad 7, meeting at training ground 7, at 7. How is that not funny?" Asked a hysteric Naruto.

"Good point. Oh yeah, and don't eat breakfast or you'll puke." Stated Kakashi with a chuckle. He then proofed away once more.

"That was stupid of him to tell us." Stated Naruto.

"Yeah, every shinobi knows that to function properly, you need to have your full energy, thus, you need to eat." Finished Sasuke.

"WOW SASUKE, YOU'RE SO SMART!" Screeched the Banshee.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Naruto asked rhetorically.

"Whatever, Loser, let's go train." Said Sasuke.

"Wait, Sasuke, wanna go on a date with me?" Asked Sakura.

"Hn." Was the response she received.

Without another word, Naruto and Sasuke started jumping from one roof to another towards the Uchiha compound.

 **A/N: Okay, so I meant to make this linger, but it got so long. Technically, this chapter, plus much more was supposed to be in last chapter, but that also got too long. Sorry for lack of action, but I promise, next chapter will have some. And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the Shadow Clone Jutsu. It just takes time to get there.**

 ****

 **For those who want Coming Back To A New Friend updated, you'll have to wait a bit. I'm really enjoying writing this story.**

 ****

 **And to the guest reviewer who said "Kill yrself, virgin", thank you. Makes me believe that this is a teal work of fanfiction now.** **  
**

 ****

 **Please review as criticism is welcome and encouraged.**


	5. The Test

**_Okay, so I don't exactly have a valid excuse for taking so long to update. I'm not even sure how long it's been. But I do know it's going to take a while to update again. You see, I'm nearing the end of my Senior year and I dont have a lot of time to write. But here's the ne_** ** _xt chapter._**

A blur.

That was what it looked like to the untrained eye. But everyone here, minus a certain pink-haired fangirl, was trained.

To them, it was a 12 year old in black, leading with a kick towards his potential sensei

This specific 12 year old was Sasuke Uchiha. Many beleived him to be the most promising of the rookie genin. Much to his dismay, his kick was easily blocked by the man that was to be his sensei, Kakashi Hatake.

While Kakashi still had a hold of Sasuke's leg, said genin's rival slid under his airborn compatriot to try and sweep his sensei's feet out from under him.

This tactic would have worked for an unexperienced genin, or even a chunin that underestimated thrm. But they were against Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan. The famed Copy-Nin. Thanks to a bingo book, Naruto and Sasuke already knew of Kakashi. It also didn't hurt that he's taught them in the past.

So instead of getting put on the ground like a newly-minted genin, Kakashi jumped over the leg, flipping Sasuke in the process.

Luckily for Naruto, he was quick enough to not get landed on by Sasuke.

Jumping out from under his friend, Naruto went at Kakashi with renewed vigor.

 **~14 Hours Earlier~**

"Now that we're all together, it's time to come up with a plan," declared Sasuke.

"Oh, wow, Sasuke, you're so cool," exclaimed Sakura."

"Oh, wow, Sakura, you're so annoying," mocked Naruto.

"Shut up, Naruto," came Sakura's retort.

"That's enough, both of you. We need a plan to take out Kakashi-sensei," stated Sasuke.

"Well since we are the best fighters, we should probably hit him with some taijutsu right off the bat," planned Naruto.

"That sounds good. But what will Sakura do? She isn't the best at fight up close, and all of our combos are for only us two," Sasuke pointed out.

"True. Hmmm, let's see. I got it," exclaimed Naruto. "If we go with Plan Foxtrot, we can adjust some of the moves to allow enough room for your girlfriend to throw in some kunai."

During the planning, Sakura was just looking back and forth between her long-time crush and her long-time annoyance. She felt extremely useless, seeing as she hadn't contributed anything towards the plan. And she was supposed to be the brightest kunoichi of her generation!

At Naruto's "girlfriend" comment, Sakura blushed deeply with a giddy smile on her face while Sasuke threw a glare at his blonde friend.

"Ignoring that comment, it's a pretty solid plan. Though you do need to remember this is a Jonin. Not just any Jonin either, and ex-ANBU Captain and childhood genius Kakashi of the Sharingan. our plans might not work out perfectly, so get ready to adapt to the situations he throws at us," warned Sasuke.

 **~Present Time~** The entire field was still. Neither sides dared to move, fearing that the slightest move could mean defeat.

On one side, Sasule Uchiha stood next to his adoptive brother, Naruto Uzumaki. The toughest, smartest, and strongest of their graduating class. Both had many scrapes and bruises along their bodies, but nothing serious. Though they were both panting pretty hard. They were each in a fighting stance, though only Sasuke had kunai out.

Across from them was their sensei, Kakashi Hatake. He was once in a generation genius. He had already been a Jonin at their age, not beinng far from making ANBU. He has over a thousand jutsu under his metaphorical belt, amd a Sharingan under his literal headband. He looked as if he had just arrived. he was still in his relaxed position, though his book was noticably absent.

"You two are pretty good, for rookie Genin," stated Kakashi.

"We'll show you how good we are," shouted Naruto before rushing towards the older man. Sasuke, seemingly caught unaware by his partner's sudden action, took off after his friend.

Soon, Naruto and Sasuke were fighting Naruto in tandem. When one would overextend or otherwise leave themselves open, the other was there to protect them.

'If this keeps up, they mught get a-' Kakashi's train of thought was derailed when he saw a glint of metal fly through a small opening between Naruto and Sasuke. 'It seems like Sakura has finally entered the mix.'

'Is that fangirl crazy? She almost cut me with that throw,' shouted Naruto in his head as he blocked Sasuke from Kakashi's roundhouse kick.

'Damnit, almost got Naruto,' thought Sakura as she readied another kunai.

As more Kunai found their way through the spaces between the two Genin, Kakashi was hardpressed to keep up.

Finally, as Sasuke had triwd to dropkick Kakashi, who blocke with a cross guard, Naruto made to grab the bells. This plan was ultimately stopped when the alarm clock went off, signifying that it was now noon.

"Damnit. We almost had it," shouted Naruto as Sakura came out of the bushes. Soon enough, all three Genin were standing in front of their almost-Jonin-sensei.

"Well, I must say that I'm impresswd," began Kakashi. "Not only did you start pushing me back, but you also showed great teamwork. If it wasn't for the part about this about getting the bells, you all would pass."

As Kakashi continued talking, the three young kids continued getting depressed. that was until his next sentence.

"So it's a good thing this wasn't about the bells, therefore, you all pass. Congratulations."

"What," came the collective and oh-so intelligent reply.

"You heard me. You all pass," replied Kakashi.

"B-b-but we didn't get the bells," pointed out Sakura.

"True, but this wasn't about the bells. It was about team work. Alone, you each have no hope of beating a Jonin, but together, it's still probably a longshot, but it's better than no hope," explained Kakashi.

"We did it," exclaimed Naruto.

"Of course we did, Loser," stated Sasuke.

"Well, you all are dismissed. Meet back here tomorrow at 7a.m. sharp for training. Tardiness will not be tolerated," Kakashi stated. Though everyone just sweatdropped since he's been late twice already, each multiple hours after the agreed upon time.

With those words, Kakashi disappeared via body flicker. Sasuke and Naruto then began walking off, ignoring Sakura's constant pestering.

 **~Hokage Office, 10 Minutes Later~** "Now that all but the Always-Late Kakashi is here, we may begin. Team 1," asked Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.

"Fail."

"Team 2?"

"Fail."

"Team 3?"

"Fail."

"Team 4"

"Fail."

"Team 5"

"Fail."

"Team 6

"Fail."

"Team 7 is still absent, so Team 8?"

"Pass. Hinata Hyuga needs major self esteem boosts, while Kiba Inuzuka needs to control his temper. Other than these faults, the squad will be great for tracking." Kurenai Yuhi was the one who spoke, as she is the Jonin-sensei for Team 8.

"Team 10?"

"Pass. Shikamaru Nara is lazy but brilliant, possibly matching his father's tactical genius when he was twice his age, though I still plan to give him an IQ test to see what he scores. Choji Akimichi is great in taijutsu, but has qualms about hurting people, unless he is called fat and/or someone close to him is hurt. Ino Yamanaka only has the baaic academy jutsu and one clan jutsu under her belt. Her taijutsu is nothing to write home about, and her fangirl-like tendemcies toward Naruto Uzumaki seem to hinder her growth." This report was given by Asuma Sarutobi as the Jonin-sensei of Team 10. He also happened to be the Hokage's son.

"Team 11?"

"Pass. Takahashi Yozuba is an enigma. He was said to be dead-last in the academy, but he showed to be quite the opposite in the field. His kenjutsu was greater then mine at his age, and his taijutsu was high Genin. It seems like he forsook the academy to spend more time training. to what end, I'm not sure." Gekko Hayate delivered his report of his lone student as the Jonin-sensei of Team 11.

"Very well, everyone here is a witne-" whatever the Hokage was going to say was stopped when the door opened and Kakshi walked in reading his book.

"Am I late?"


	6. Training and Secrets

"I just knew he would be late. Why did we have to come here so damn early," asked Naruto Uzumaki as he was pacing in front of his best friend, Sasuke Uchiha.

"He said tardiness would not be tolerated, so we figured he wasn't excluded from that rule. We were obviously mistaken," replied the Uchiha.

"Oh, right. I remember now," came the blonde's response, taking a short pause from his pacing. He then continued his pacing while saying, "Well he needs to get here. We've been waiting for almost two hours now."

"Wasn't that how late he was the last two times too," asked Sasuke. He then continued, "And please, quit your pacing and sit the hell down, Loser."

"Now that you mention it," started Naruto as he sat down next to Sasuke, "I think you're right. Something tells me this is how late he'll be everyday."

As soon as it became 9, there was a poof of smoke, signalling to them that their sensei had arrived. After the smoke dissipated, Kakashi was revealed with his book in one hand and his unoccupied hand in a lazy wave.

"Yo."

"Hey sensei," spoke Sakura sweetly, trying to gain his attention.

"Yes, my cute little genin," replied Kakashi.

"You're Late," screamed the pinkette with the meanest glare she could muster.

"Oh yeah, I guess you're right. Sorry about that, I got lost on the road of life," came the Jonin's lame excuse. "Anyways, I have an important question. Would you guys like training or a mission?"

"Training. Definitely training," replied Naruto and Sasuke simultaneously.

"Are you sure? I could try and pull a few strings and get us an S-rank mission," asked Kakashi, trying to make it sound appealing. All that it did was make Naruto and Sasuke laugh.

"Like they would allow a squad of rookie Genin, literally just out of the academy, like seriously, we just got out the day before yesterday, to take an S-rank mission. Even if it was with the famous Copy Ninja Kakashi," stated Sasuke after he had finished his laughter.

"Oh wow, Sasuke. You're so smart. I'm sure Naruto didn't know that. He was probably just laughing because you were." exclaimed Sakura.

Knowing saying anything would be in vain, Naruto began to address Kakashi, "So sensei, how about that training?"

"Alright, fine, I got a good measure of your skills yesterday, well except for Sakura's, so you two come with me while I leave a Shadow Clone here that can teach Sakura," explained the Jonin.

"But sensei, a Clone is just an illusion, how can it teach me to do anything," asked the female of the squad.

"I'm glad you asked. While it's true that an ordinary Clone is just an illusion, unable to interact with the world around it, a Shadow Clone is solid. It can do anything the caster of the jutsu can do, though with one good hit, it will dispel. Which is another of its abilities," stated Kakashi.

"How is dispelling an ability," questioned the confused pinkette.

"Well the dispelling in itself is not the ability, but rather what happens after the Clone is dispelled is. You see, when a Clone is dispelled, all the knowledge that the Clone accumulated up to the point of its destruction is then transferred unto the creator." As Kakashi finished his lecture, he looked at the amazed faces of his Genin. All were exceptional students, so they each understood the applications of this jutsu. While Sakura continued looking amazed, Naruto and Sasuke's expression quickly changed to that of excitement.

"You gotta teach us that jutsu," stated Sasuke.

"You just gotta? Come on, come on," pleaded Naruto.

"What the Loser said, teach us."

"Yeah, teach us that jutsu."

Soon, they both started chanting 'Teach Us', trying to wear their sensei down so they could learn the ultimate training tool.

"I'm sorry, my little Genin, but I can't. Despite the Shadow Clone being such a boon in training, the chakra requirements are too great for mere Genin to perform. As you know, we all need a certain amount of Chakra to function. Genin like you have a little more than what's required, while Jonin like myself have many times the required amount. Now most jutsu require a fraction of your chakra. However, the Shadow Clone Jutsu expends half of your chakra, regardless of how much you have, which is the reason it is a forbidden jutsu. So if you tried to perform it, you may be able to make one, but you'll almost immediately faint, possibly even die, and then the Clone will dispel shortly thereafter," explained Kakashi, his minimal teaching skills kicking into overdrive.

"In the academy we were told it's possible to increase one's reserves, so can't you just train us to increase our reserves until we can safely perform the jutsu," asked Sasuke.

"What the academy taught is correct, though before increasing the amount of chakra you have, I'll be training you in the more basic skills a ninja needs. I was planning on starting off with some basic teamwork building exercises, but after yesterday, I'd say you guys have that down to the required level. So instead, I'll be training you in different things. I noticed Sakura wasn't in the fight much, besides of course your impressive kunai throwing, so my Shadow Clone will be training you in some taijutsu along with strength building and increasing your stamina. As for Naruto and Sasuke, I'll be training you in chakra control. I wasn't planning on teaching my squad this until much later, but you guys are a special case," explained Kakashi.

After that, Kakashi made his Shadow Clone, and since it was a copy of him, it already knew what to do. Kakashi then motioned for the two Rivals to follow him.

"So Kakashi-sensei, what did you mean when you said you'll be training us in Chakra control," asked Naruto

"I'm gonna teach you how to climb trees."

 **~A Few Hours Later~**

"Man, who knew climbing trees was so hard," a blond asked rhetorically to the person on the opposite side of the table in the small cafe that they had stopped at.

"I know what you mean, I wasn't expecting the first day of training to be like this," replied the Uchiha.

"Does that mean you're quitting, Bastard." asked Naruto with a grin, knowing the answer.

"What? Of course not. Are you, Loser," asked Sasuke.

"Definitely not, I can't wait until tomorrow, it's going to be great, and I know I'll master it before you do, you Bastard," declared the blond, jumping to his feet, all prior aches and pains forgotten.

"As if, Loser, I'll master it in half the time you do," stated Sasuke, matching his rival's movements so they could glare at each other, though it was with no malice, as they both had smirks plastered on their faces.

Right as it seemed that the two were about to rush off to the nearest training ground to continue climbing trees, an ANBU Black Ops member appeared.

"Naruto Uzumaki, you are requested to be seen by Lord Hokage," the member of the elite ninja who served and protected the Hokage, who seemed to have multiple characteristics that made them believe it was a female. They then looked across to the blond's companion. "Lord Hokage stated that if you so wish, Sasuke Uchiha may accompany you." Without another word, the ANBU member disappeared, leaving two stunned 12-year-olds in, presumably, her wake.

"Well, I guess we should go, that is if you want to come as well," spoke Naruto

"I would, but I'm actually low on groceries so I need to go shopping for dinner tonight, let me know what happens, though," replied Sasuke as he stood up.

"I will as long as it's not some big S-rank secret," Naruto said with a chuckle.

"Hn, like they'd ever tell a Loser like you an S-rank secret," came Sasuke's response with a smirk.

"Whatever, Bastard, as I'll see you tomorrow at the team's usual spot and time," Naruto replied. With that, the two parted ways with a fist bump, one headed in the direction of the Hokage Tower, the other in the direction of the market district.

 **~Hokage Tower, 10 Minutes Later~**

"Ah good, Naruto, my boy, you came, and so soon," Spoke Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, with a smile on his old face. As usual, he was clad in the red and white Hokage robes made by the same seamstress who made both his predecessor's and his successor's robes.

"What's up, Old Man, here to finally give up the hat," asked the blonde with a grin.

"You're not quite there, though I would like to take this time to congratulate you," Sated Hiruzen.

"The old age must be really getting to you, Old Man, you already did that," stated Naruto with a grin.

"Yes, you're quite right. I did congratulate you, but as a Hokage. I would like to take this time to congratulate you as a surrogate Grandfather," stated Hiruzen. The blonde's eyes were wide, and the elderly man could see a few glistening tears threatening to fall from the boy's eyes. The Sarutobi clan head then continued, "I have watched you grow from an infant into the fine young shinobi I see before me, and I couldn't be prouder. I've seen the way the villagers look at you, their glares, their hateful words, all of it. I wish there was more I could have done to protect you. I wish I could have done more for you. But not only have I seen how they've treated you, but I've also seen how you handle it. Lesser men would have given into the hate and fought back with more hate. But not you, my boy. You only seek to prove yourself to them. You truly hold the Will of Fire."

By this time, Naruto was crying openly, not caring about rule 25 of the Shinobi Principles of Conduct. Right now, he wasn't in the presence of his Hokage, he was being praised by the one person who's opinion he held higher than Sasuke's, his grandfather. Although He wasn't a Sarutobi Clansmen, Hiruzen was just that, his grandfather. Like all boys do when their grandfather gives them a speech so heartfelt and full of love, Naruto raced over and gave his surrogate grandfather a hug. Before long, there was a large wet spot on the Hokage's robes, but he paid it little mind, as all he cared about in that moment was the vulnerable young boy who had suffered too greatly at the hands of the village he called home.

After about twenty minutes, Naruto removed himself from the Old Man's embrace, and backed up to the other side of the Hokage's desk.

"Uh, sorry I got your robes wet," apologized the blond, whose eyes were noticeably more red than they were when he entered the room, though no one paid it any mind.

"Think nothing of it, my boy. Now there's another reason I called you here. Kakashi told me what transpired at training today, regarding you wanting to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Now normally, for a Genin, that'd be an automatic 'no'. But your case is a little more.. Special," stated Hiruzen. At Naruto's questioning glance, though, he continued, "You have more chakra than a normal Genin. In fact, you have the same, if not more chakra than I do."

At this revelation, Naruto's eyes grew wider than Hiruzen had ever seen someone's eyes grow, and considering he's bordering seventy, that was saying something.

So many thoughts were going through his head right now, though the most prominent one being 'How could I, a mere Genin, have more, or even close to the same amount of chakra as the Hokage, who had been a ninja for longer than a good majority of the people in the village had been alive?'

Naruto had learned a lot about the man he called Old Man over his tenure at the academy. He learning of his surrogate grandfather's moniker, The God of Shinobi. How could he have anywhere near the amount of chakra that someone with that nickname has?

"How could I have anywhere near the amount of chakra that you have, God of Shinobi," asked Naruto, forsaking his loving nickname just this once to reiterate his point.

"Before I tell you that, I would like to continue what I was saying about your training today. Since you do indeed have so much chakra, I am allowing an exception of the rule for this jutsu. I would like to teach it to you," stated the Third Hokage.

"W-w-w-what?"

"I said I'd like to teach it to you, the Shadow Clone Jutsu," restated the elderly shinobi.

"Can Sasuke learn it too," was the first coherent thought that came out of Naruto's mouth after the revelation that he'd be learning such a useful technique.

'Even when he's told he can learn such a useful training tool, he thinks of others first,' thought Hiruzen before speaking aloud, "I'm sorry, Naruto, but I can't teach it to a normal Genin like Sasuke."

"But Sasuke is anything but a normal Genin," came Naruto's rebuttal of the hird's previous statement. "He's the son of the Uchiha clan, the most prestigious ninja clan out of the Leaf village, he's a prodigy in his own right, he's trained with me rigorously everyday for the past two years, and his brother murdered his clan. Not to mention he can already do the Great Fireball Jutsu."

"You make fair points, but I'm not convinced he should be allowed to learn it," stated Sarutobi.

"Then come with us to our next training session, he'll show you that he deserves to learn this jutsu just as much as I do," Naruto proclaimed.

"Very well, I will meet with you at Training ground 7 at 7 tomorrow, and we shall see if Sasuke truly deserves to learn such a chakra-extensive technique," stated Hiruzen.

"Hooray," shouted Naruto as he jumped up and down in excitement. After a few hops, he settled down with a confused look plastered across his face. The next thing he asked what the Third had dreaded most about this meeting, "So why do I have such large chakra reserves?"

"That question has two answers, yet I can only go into detail about one at this very moment, I'm afraid," responded Hiruzen with a downcast expression. "One reason is due to your heritage, particularly your mother's heritage. Her clan was partially known for their large amounts of chakra. I'm afraid I can't go into much more detail, as your mother had many enemies, and she did not want you in danger until you could protect yourself. She told me to tell you about her when you became Chunin."

At this revelation, Naruto became saddened. He always dreamed about having parents, but that dream never came true. Now here he had the name of his mother within his grasp, yet he couldn't reach it. But he soon realized two facts that made him quite happy.

"You said she didn't want me in danger, right," asked Naruto. At this, the Hokage nodded. "So she loved me. If she cared that much about me, she had to love me, right?" With this revelation, he soon felt the stinging in his eyes, but fought back his tears of joy, as he had already cried once that day, and did not want to do it again. The second fact that made him happy was the fact that he had a clan, which meant he had family. But he was smart enough to figure out that his Old Man wasn't going to part with any information on them.

"So what is the other answer to my large amount of chakra," asked Naruto once he remembered what Hiruzen had said.

"That, my poor boy, requires a history lesson. You know of the Nine-Tails' attack on the village, correct," asked the Third. Naruto nodded almost immediately, for it had been the fight that had killed his hero, the Fourth Hokage. Now Naruto was a smart boy, but that didn't mean he couldn't have dumb moment every once in a while. Sadly for him, this was one of those moments. He couldn't see any correlation between him having large amounts of chakra and the Nine-Tails' attack on the village. This was evident by the confusion on his face.

At this, Sarutobi could do nothing but sigh and wish the boy he cared so much for didn't take it too hard. "Well in the story I'm sure you know, the Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to kill the beast and save the village. But I'm afraid this is not the complete truth. You see, the Nine-Tails was a being of chakra, a force of nature itself, therefore, it could not be killed, just as a tornado or an earthquake cannot be killed. But unlike both of these natural disasters, the Nine-Tails could be sealed, and was. But not in a scroll like a kunai or a book, no. The Nine-Tails could not be held by such weak vessels." As Hiruzen got closer to the truth, he could see the mask of confusion slowly chip away to a visage of horror, yet he pushed on. "The Nine-tails could only be held by a human, and with how powerful the Nine-Tails was, as it is the most powerful of all the Tailed Beasts, it had to be sealed into someone that was ready for adaptation, like a newborn infant. Alas, only one child was born that night of that year. So, the Fourth Hokage used a forbidden sealing jutsu, as he was a master of the sealing arts, Fuinjutsu. He sacrificed himself to seal away the wretched beast inside of you, Naruto."

With his story done, Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, looking every bit the part of an almost-70 year old man that had seen too much, now including the crushed look inside the eyes of the one he thought of as a grandson. Many minutes past by with Naruto staring at nothing, his eyes wide from shock, unable to fully comprehend what he was told, until finally, "I-I'm the Nine-Tailed Fox," Naruto asked in a voice that held no hope, a voice that should not have belonged to a boy so young, a voice that told Hiruzen that if he confirmed what the boy asked, Naruto would shatter like glass.

In a voice that revealed just how desperate he was to make Naruto believe, Hiruzen spoke, "No, my boy. You are definitely not the Fox. Remember how I told you how proud I was of you when you first walked in? I am not proud of the beast known as the Nine-Tailed Fox. I am proud of Naruto Uzumaki, the boy who sits before me. The boy who shows me everyday that he is not the thing he holds. The boy who protects this village everyday by holding that beast at bay. The boy who will one day turn into the man I will be proud to call my successor." As he spoke, Hiruzen's voice lost the desperate plea for Naruto to understand, and gained a determination that told Naruto just how much his Grandfather believed in him.

Naruto then looked directly into the loving eyes of the man who had been there for as long as Naruto could remember, and Hiruzen saw in his eyes the determination of someone who would not let down his family. Then Naruto spoke, "You're right, Old Man. I'm not the Nine-Tailed Fox, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, Future Hokage!"

 **Holy Snap Crackle Pop Rice Crispy Treats. I finally finished a chapter for this story. I even did it before an entire year passed, though it was a close one. Sorry it took me so long. Though I did finish high school, but I'm also almost done with my first year of college, so that's cool. Anyways, I was looking through the reviews for this story, and they just got me wanting to write, so thanks to those who review, you got this chapter out here. I just hope people still read this story. This is definitely the longest chapter I have ever written. This was over 3k, which for me is a lot. This is the first time I've ever written something this sappy, so hopefully I didn't ruin the story or mess this part up. I also did give Sakura a bit of a use in this chapter as I kind of bashed her a few chapters back. Well I think That's all i have to say, so please, R &R if you want me to update.**


	7. Sparring and Pleading

"Sasuke! Sasuke! Sasuke! Guess what," shouted the hyperactive blond ecstatically as he rushed into the Clan Head's house at the Uchiha compound.

"What is it, Loser? And weren't we supposed to meet tomorrow like usual? It's almost midnight," complained the Uchiha clan heir as he walked out of his bedroom, still groggy after being woken up mid-slumber.

"We get to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu," stated Naruto, still as excited as he was when he first found out almost three hours previous, despite the small lull in his attitude due to the disconcerting news he received regarding why the villagers hated him.

"Wait, seriously," asked a skeptical Sasuke, though he did noticeably get more excited. At his question, Naruto just nodded repeatedly. This quickly got the Uchiha's attention and soon, he too was thrilled at the knowledge of being able to learn the highly coveted, to them at least, jutsu.

"How did you get the Hokage to change his mind," asked Sasuke once he was calm enough to speak, though he was still quite excited at the prospect of learning such a technique.

At this question though, Naruto had a slight disheartened look flicker across his face before his previous exuberant expression returned to his face. Despite how quickly these changes were, though, the blonde's best friend was able to witness them as if they were in slow motion. If this was because he was so well trained or if he was just that close to Naruto, however, was still up for debate.

"I'm just that awesome," stated Naruto with all the enthusiasm he could muster, hoping beyond hope that the Uchiha hadn't caught the downcast look he was just sure had crossed his features,

"Yeah right, Loser. Now tell me the truth. And while you're at it, tell me why you looked so sad about the question," demanded Sasuke.

'Dammit, he did see it,' thought the blonde. He figured he might as well tell his best friend the truth, if he asked the correct questions, that is. "Well I just happen to have a bunch more chakra than a normal Genin. So, like I said, I am that awesome. Anyways, I convinced the Old Man to teach it to both of us. Well more like I got you an audition to learn it. If you can show you can hold the strain of the jutsu, then you can learn it," explained Naruto. He really hoped Sasuke's joy over the fact he convinced the Hokage to teach him the Shadow Clone Jutsu would shove any thoughts of the blonde's momentary foul mood.

"You did that for me," asked Sasuke, shocked that his friend would have done that.

"Of course, you Bastard. It'd be pointless for me to learn and use it if you weren't right there with me along the way, so you'd better pass the Old Man's test," stated Naruto like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and to him, it probably was. At this statement, Sasuke couldn't help the small smile of gratitude that brought itself to his lips.

"Hn, of course I'm going to pass it. I can't let you get ahead of me in our training," scoffed Sasuke before his face twisted into a look of contemplation. "But you didn't answer my question of why you looked so down."

"Oh that? Heh heh," chuckled Naruto nervously. "Well you know how I said I have a bunch of chakra?" At his question, the Raven-haired boy nodded. At this, Naruto continued, "Well telling me I could learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu was only one part of the meeting. Another part was telling me why the village hated me." At this revelation, Sasuke's interest was officially piqued.

"Well," prodded Sasuke when the blonde was continuing. "Why and how do those things correlate? What did he tell you?"

"Well first he went into a retelling of the story of the Nine-Tailed Fox's attack. Then he told me it was a lie. Partially at least. The Nine-Tails couldn't be killed, only sealed. So, the Fourth Hokage sealed it in me, at the cost of his life." Once Naruto was finished his tale, he was prepared for anger, as multiple Uchiha clansmen were killed that night, fear, for Sasuke might see him as the beast within him, hatred, since he had spent the last four years with a monster. The last thing he expected was a hand to grasp his shoulder. When he saw his best friend's hand raise, he flinched back, shutting his eyes as tight as possible, expecting a blow to impact his body. When he opened his eyes to feeling of a hand on his shoulder, he stared straight back into Sasuke's eyes, seeing the understanding on his face. Understanding of the fact that he wasn't the fox and understanding of the pain the blonde had gone through. After a brief moment between the two Genin, Sasuke spoke two words, "It's okay," squeezed his friend's shoulder one last time, then drew back his hand back.

Despite the shortness of Sasuke's response, Naruto couldn't be happier about his friend's acceptance of him. He didn't know how he would be able to handle any of this if he didn't have the Uchiha there to help him through everything.

After a good minute or so of silence, it got quite awkward, so Naruto said the first thing that popped into his head: "I have a family," Naruto blurted out.

"What," asked Sasuke.

"The Old Man said _it_ wasn't only one reason I have so much chakra," stated the blonde once he realized what he said, putting significant emphasis on 'it' to make sure Sasuke understood what he meant. "The other reason is that my mother's clan has naturally large chakra reserves. Sadly, he wouldn't tell me the name of the clan. And since I don't know if my last name comes from my father or mother, I can't know if Uzumaki is his or her clan, or if Uzumaki is even from them."

After Naruto had explained what he meant when he said he had a family, Sasuke couldn't help but feel happy for his best friend, he knew just how much he wanted a family. So to finally find out he didn't just have a family, but an entire clan, it must have been a dream come true. Despite him feeling happy for the blonde, he didn't show it. He just smirked and sent his friend a challenge, "Hn, now we both have an advantage. I have my Sharingan, and you have your large reserves." At this, Naruto couldn't help but grow a bigger, though just as challenging, smile.

"Mine will of course win. What use is the Sharingan without the chakra to back it up," declared Naruto, pointing out a small flaw with the Sharingan.

"Well what point is large reserves if you get beat by my Sharingan before you get to even use them," asked Sasuke rhetorically. Forgoing the use of words, the two just decided to glare at each other, though, as usual, there was no malice involved.

~~The Next Day~~

The morning came quickly enough for the two Genin. It was so late, that Sasuke insisted Naruto just sleep over for the night. Luckily for them, Naruto still had his ninja gear with him as everything that had happened the previous day had occurred in such quick succession that the blonde never got the chance to make a stop at his apartment. After they each had a quick shower and a small breakfast, the two 12-year-olds made their way to Training Ground 7, despite knowing Kakashi would not be there for two more hours. However, they figured that, just in case the Hokage had decided to come at the beginning of their training, they should get there on time.

"Do you think we made the right call, coming here so early," asked the blonde.

"I don't know. I guess time will tell," stated Sasuke.

"Maybe we should spar a bit while we wait," Naruto wondered aloud.

"I guess we have nothing better to do. Sure, let's do it," agreed Sasuke. "Sharingan or no?"

"I guess I'll allow it this time. We don't want you getting rusty with it, now do we," joked Naruto.

"Hn."

With those final words, they both stood up, Naruto obviously more energetic, as he actually jumped up, coming off the ground a foot or so. Sasuke displayed his excitement in his own, moe subtle way, which was the smirk on his face. It had been far too long since he had use his Kekkai Genkai.

Soon enough, they had both gotten ready about ten feet apart. For close to a minute, the two just stared at each other, faces showing their excitement to spar against each other, as they were the only ones that could push the other to fight their hardest, to improve just to try and beat the other. As they were staring, the wind blew, first obvious by the billowing of Naruto's cloak. The wind carried leaves of the tree they were just at between them.

In the split-second that passed when a leaf obscured their eyes from each other, Sasuke had activated his Sharingan and they had simultaneously launched each other at their sparring partner, increasing their speed with the training they had received the previous day. Sasuke made the first movement, as he had better control of his chakra, therefore he could supplement his speed better than Naruto could. His first move turned out to be a feint, turning a left hook into a counter-clockwise leg sweep that Naruto easily jumped over.

In retaliation, the blonde used his momentum from falling to try and land a haymaker to the side of the Uchiha's face. Despite his advantage with his Sharingan, Sasuke could only throw his hands up in a cross guard. The blow stung his forearms, but the black-haired boy paid it no mind, hastily grasped the Uzumaki's own forearm with one hand and pulled him into his fist, making solid contact with Naruto's stomach, forcing a cough of spittle out of him.

Overcoming the pain, Naruto used his hand that was in Sasuke's grasp to grab his rival's arm and ram his fist into the other's faces. Due to how close they were, the Sharingan did little to warn Sasuke of the incoming blow. With the force of the punch, the grips were broken, and Sasuke was sent back through the air, though he quickly righted himself midair, landing in a crouch. After sliding back a few inches, Sasuke launched himself at his rapidly approaching opponent once more.

When the distance had been halved, Sasuke had leaped into the air, spinning into and axe kick that Naruto sidestepped. Before his rival had the time to stand up, Naruto attempted a roundhouse kick to the side of Sasuke's head, but the target quickly rolled out of the way. The blonde hurriedly pressed his advantage, trying to get a few jabs in as the Uchiha rose from his roll. This time, the Sharingan showed him where Naruto was punching at, and easily maneuvered himself between the punches. After the quick series of jabs sent his way, Sasuke retried his first move. The feint failed once again, but this time, Naruto leapt away, throwing some shuriken to occupy Sasuke while he got the rest of his plan together.

As he rose, the clan heir quickly deflected the shuriken away with a kunai he had drawn from his holster. This gave Naruto enough time to attach an explosion tag to a couple of his kunai. When he threw these, Sasuke, easily seeing the tags with his Sharingan matched his opponent's move with the single knife in his hand. Using the shuriken skills he was taught since a young age, he used his own kunai to knock one of Naruto's into his other, scattering all three across the field.

Fighting the urge to mock the weak attempt to catch him by surprise and subsequent duds, as Sasuke knew it would only serve as a distraction to himself, the Uchiha ran at the Uzumaki. Leaping into a flying kick, Naruto wasn't surprised when his sparring partner took a step to the side, trying to grab his proffered leg. Before his appendage could be seized, the blonde spun midair into a roundhouse kick that the Sharingan weilder couldn't dodge due to his trying to grab the original leg. With the connection of the kick, Sasuke was launched back, landing on his side and tumbling across the ground a bit, though he then rose to one knee. With his breath knocked out of him, the Uchiha didn't notice the spike of chakra originating from his companion, or even the sizzling behind him courtesy of the 'dud' explosion tag until it was too late.

Naruto knew that Sasuke would see the tags, so he purposefully didn't try to detonate them when he originally threw them, instead having Sasuke scatter his two perfectly functional tags. The next step in his plan was to get his rival close enough to a tag to be effective, while simultaneously distracting him long enough for the tag to explode. He figured the only way to do that was disorient Sasuke, but that was harder said than done when said Uchiha had the Sharingan. That's when he got the idea for the kick that feinted into a kick. Naruto aimed his kick at the stomach so he could hit his opponent's diaphragm, knocking the breath out of him. Then it was only a matter of sending a pulse of chakra to the tag, then 'kaboom'. Naruto really liked making things go 'kaboom'.

While the tag was blowing up, Naruto raced towards Sasuke, getting a kunai ready. Once the Uchiha had finished rolling, sporting a few minor burns, Naruto was there with his kunai to his throat. Once Sasuke could feel the steel pressing into his neck, he could only groan at losing, and probably the pain.

"Looks like I win again. How many is that, five in a row," asked Naruto, clearly trying to rub it into his friend's face.

"No," declared Sasuke in indignation before turning his head and begrudgingly forcing out "four in a row."

"That just goes to show I'm better than you, Bastard." Stated Naruto

"I would have won this if we used jutsu, but I had to save it for the Hokage's test," argued Sasuke.

"Maybe, maybe not. I guess we'll find out next time we go all out. Which will of course include the taking off of our weights," planned the Uzumaki.

"Oh yeah, I forgot we had them on, though that probably explains why your kicks were so powerful. Guess that means it's time to increase the amount again," observed the ravenette.

"I guess so. Well, I guess we'll have to do that after training today. Speaking of which, what time do you think it is," asked the blonde.

Right as Sasuke was going to respond, a certain kunoichi appeared and answered for him, "It just turned 7 o'clock, idiot."

"Oh great, she's here," Naruto cheered sarcastically.

"Hey Sasuke, wanna go on a date after training," asked a hopeful Sakura.

"No." As usual, that hope didn't last long. Once that hope was gone, it was quickly replaced by despair. Then, the despair was replaced by hatred. Particularly for one blond shinobi.

"It's all your fault, you idiot," shouted an irate Sakura. She would have swung at him, though she quickly learned at the academy that abuse is one thing Naruto didn't tolerate from her.

'Damn it all. This is going to be the longest two hours ever,' thought Naruto and Sasuke simultaneously.

~~Two Hours Later~~

"Yo."

"Kakashi-sensei, you're late again," shouted Sakura.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just that I saw a dog being chased by a cat, and since I'm a dog person, I had to save it, but then I found out they were married and having a fight, so I felt it was my duty to counsel the two into working it out," explained Kakashi, still reading his book. Due to how complex and thought out his excuse was, none of the Genin could actually bring themselves to yell at their constantly late sensei. Instead, they stared at him blankly, slightly amazed by how ridiculous it was.

"I think you overdid it a bit with how inane your excuse was. I hope all of them aren't that way, Kakashi," spoke Hiruzen Sarutobi as he approached the group. With the Third Hokage's appearance, all three soon-to-be murderers broke out of their stupor. Three of the four people there bowed towards their leader, saying a quick "Lord Hokage," before straightening up. Then there was the fourth person in the Hokage's presence.

"What's up, Old Man? You here to finally give me that hat or just test the Bastard over there," Naruto questioned.

"Don't be like that, idiot. Show Lord Hokage some respect," berated Sakura.

"It is quite alright, my dear," Hiruzen waved off. "I am to administer Sasuke's test. I hope those burns on him aren't from him practicing his Great Fireball Jutsu."

"Ah, those? Nah, I gave him those in our spar earlier," declared the blonde.

"Hn. Naruto is correct, Lord Hokage. I can do the Great Fireball Jutsu with no difficulty," stated Sasuke respectfully, even going as far as to not call Naruto 'Loser' as he usually did.

"Very well, Sasuke. Would you mind demonstrating the jutsu for me," requested the Third Fire Shadow.

"I do not mind at all, Lord Hokage." With his response to the Third's request given, Sasuke faced away from the group. He then sped through the required hand seals as fast as he could without messing them up, ending on the Tiger seal, shouted "Fire Style:Great Fireball Jutsu and then launched a large fireball roughly fifteen feet in diameter towards the open clearing.

"Very good, Sasuke. And how many times would you say you can create one of that size," asked the Hokage.

"I'd say five times of that size before I feel incapable of creating any more, Lord Hokage, though more if I decrease the size. I can also use Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu multiple times, though the amount varies on how many fireballs I create each time," explained the Uchiha.

"Impressive," stated the elderly ninja. And this wasn't just hollow praise. Very few Genin could use elemental ninjutsu at his age, let alone be able to make so many Great Fireball Jutsus that large.

"Um, Lord Hokage? Why exactly are you testing Sasuke," asked a hesitant Sakura, a bit nervous being in her leader's vicinity for so long. Only her insatiable curiosity gave her enough courage to ask the powerful man this question.

"I was asked here by Naruto to determine if Sasuke should be allowed to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu," explained Hiruzen.

"Well Old Man, can he learn it," asked Naruto excitedly, positive his best friend would be given permission to learn it.

"While I admit he does have the chakra capacity to safely create two or three, I'm afraid I must defer the decision to his sensei, Kakashi," declared the Leaf Village's leader. At this, all eyes turned to Kakashi.

"Can he sensei? Can he? Can he? Can he? Please," begged Naruto.

"You seem quite adamant about someone else learning this jutsu, Naruto. Why is that," asked Kakashi.

"I've known Sasuke for four years. He's my best friend in the whole world, and he accepts me for me, _all_ of me," stated the blonde, looking both older ninja in the eyes, making sure they understood that he had told the Uchiha about his burden. "And if anyone deserves this jutsu, it's him. Sure, he's a prodigy and learns things at an impressive rate, but that's not always enough. A prodigious mind can only get one so far. As I'm sure this jutsu can only get you so far. But I'm sure, with both of these things, Sasuke could accomplish great things for this village. I wouldn't be surprised if, after he gets his revenge on the bastard that hurt him like he did, Sasuke could become Hokage if he so wished. That's still my goal, but Sasuke probably has a better chance of doing it than I do, since he's a prodigy. So yes, a good portion of why I want him to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu is so he can get stronger, which, in turn, would push me to be stronger, but I also want him to learn it for our home."

 **Looks like I finished another chapter, woohoo for me. It's even more surprising since it's so soon after the last one. And this one is even longer than the last one by a couple hundred words. I'm pretty sure both of these chapters have been longer than any academic paper I've ever written. Though that probably says more about how much effort I put into my schoolwork than it does about the effort I put into this. Speaking of school, I have to wake up for class in about 3 and a half hours and I have yet to sleep, so I don't feel like reading through this for mistakes, so sorry about all the mistakes I undoubtedly made, it's only for this chapter. Anyway, I hope I didn't screw up the fight scene too bad. I don't usually do fight scenes, which will definitely change with this story as it's mainly an action story. I actually had to rewrite this last rant from Naruto because it was more about getting revenge than about why he should learn the jutsu. Anyways, this is too long, so I'll be cutting it off after this. Just please R &R, it helps me get motivated to write. Well, until next time, which won't be too long as I've already started on the next chapter.**


	8. Shadow Clones

After Naruto was finished with his rant, those around him were stunned by his words, some stunned he could say and knew the word 'prodigious'. But mainly stunned by what he said. He didn't call Sasuke Bastard once in that speech, and it was all extremely heartfelt. Though Sakura was quite confused too, as there were a couple things she didn't understand from what her blonde teammate just said.

Though none were quite as stunned as Sasuke. While he knew they were best friends, neither of them had ever actually said it before. And then there was the way he mentioned his brother. Unlike how he would call Sasuke Bastard, when he said it in relation to the Uchiha murderer, there was no kindness in it, no playfulness in it, just complete and utter disdain.

"Well said, Naruto. Well said," praised Kakashi. "When you put it like that, I think I would be a fool not to allow both of you to learn this jutsu."

"I must agree, Kakashi. The possible outcomes are too good to pass up, if want Naruto says is true, and I myself trust his judgment," declared the Third.

"Yeah! Woohoo! We both get to learn it!We both get to learn it," shouted Naruto. While his blonde friend was jumping up and down in excitement, the Uchiha's reaction was much more subdued. He just sighed in relief and started to smile slightly.

"Calm down, my boy. Calm down. You still have to learn it," Hiruzen pointed out.

"Oh yeah. Well the Bastard and I can easily learn this jutsu. Of course, I'll learn it faster, but a few days after, I'm sure he'll be able to get the hand seals down," Joked the blonde, trying to rile Sasuke up.

"What are you talking about, Loser? I'll learn it before you can even say the name," Sasuke challenged.

"Oh yeah," asked Naruto.

"Yeah," replied the Uchiha.

"Shadow Clo-" Before Naruto had finished the name, Sasuke covered the blonde's mouth, making it impossible for him to say the name of the jutsu.

All anyone else could do was just watch and let out a few chuckles at the two boys' antics. "Well I'm afraid it's about time I leave. That cursed paperwork isn't going to do itself," stated the Hokage.

"Okay, Old Man. Thanks for coming by and allowing the Bastard to learn the jutsu," spoke Naruto.

"Goodbye, Lord Hokage," Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura said at the same time whilst bowing.

Soon enough, the Hokage was gone and it was time to actually train.

"Alright, Team 7, it's time to train. Same thing as yesterday, I'll make a Shadow Clone to instruct Sakura in Taijutsu while I continue to teach the two boys in chakra control," explained Kakashi.

"But Kakashi-sensei, aren't you going to teach me and Sasuke the Shadow Clone Jutsu," whined Naruto.

"Not yet, Naruto. You may have plenty of chakra to spare, but Sasuke does not. Therefore, he needs a lot of control to safely be allowed to use it, and even then, no using it during combat. That's forbidden unless it's a life or death situation and you have no other choice, understood," declared Kakashi, getting serious while explaining the restrictions to his student. Last thing he wanted was another member of one of his squads getting killed.

"Yes, sensei," replied Sasuke with a head nod.

"Very good, Sasuke. Now, let's train," said Kakashi while making his Shadow Clone for Sakura to train with before taking Naruto and Sasuke to a different section of the training field.

Once the two groups were separate, Sakura began asking the questions that had been bugging her, momentarily forgetting she was talking to a clone, not that it mattered.

"Um, Kakashi-sensei? What did Naruto mean when he said Sasuke wanted revenge on someone," asked Sakura.

"Oh, well, Sasuke's life hasn't been the easiest, and there are some particularly bad moments that were caused by a single individual. Sasuke wants revenge for what this person did to him, explained Kakashi.

"What did this person do that was so bad that would cause Sasuke to seek revenge," questioned the pinkette.

"I'm afraid that's not for me to tell. Only Sasuke can tell people, as it affected him the most," stated Kakashi. "Now, back to your kata."

~~Meanwhile~~

"Okay guys, you'll be continuing the tree climbing exercise as you did yesterday," stated Kakashi.

"But Kakashi-sensei, we want to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu already," complained Naruto, Sasuke nodding along with his friend in agreement.

"And I told you yesterday, you can't learn it until you have proper chakra control. And that won't happen until you learn the exercise after tree climbing," explained Kakashi.

"Wait, there's an exercise after this? What could require more chakra control than attaching the weight of a human body to a vertical surface," wondered Sasuke aloud.

"Three words, my cute little Genin. Walking. On. Water," explained Kakashi. Though with those words, his students just stared at him with wide eyes and agape mouths. Then, without another complaint, the two clan heirs rushed towards the nearest trees, which were, coincidentally, the same trees they used the previous day.

'Ah, this is going to be a relaxing month. With a Shadow Clone taking care of Sakura, and these two practically training each other, I have nothing to do but read my precious Makeout Paradise,' thought Kakashi with a perverted giggle as he pulled out his little orange book.

~~~One Week Later~~~

As Kakashi Hatake sauntered into Training Ground 7, reading Makeout Violence, the second Makeout book. When he arrives, his customary two hours late, he's subjects to sounds of fighting and splashing. At this, he looks up to see Naruto coming down onto Sasuke in an axe kick. This normally would be no reason for pause, as they tended to spar quite often, though usually it was on solid ground. They were currently on the surface of a nearby pond. He knew that they had mastered the tree climbing exercise exceptionally fast, but to also learn the water walking exercise almost just as fast was truly remarkable.

Kakashi was soon brought from his musings when he heard "Fire Style:Great Fireball Jutsu." He automatically knew it was Sasuke, as Naruto had yet to learn any Fire Style Jutsu yet. As he watched the match, he saw Naruto enveloped in the flaming ball. He was just about to jump into the fight when he saw movement in the corner of his eye. Kakashi quickly turn just in time to see Naruto deliver a roundhouse kick to Sasuke's guard. He then witnessed as Sasuke grabbed Naruto's leg, swing him around, then toss him off the water's surface.

"Damn, Bastard, looks like you finally took the lead in our spars. I was afraid you had peaked," joked the blonde.

"Not in a million years, Loser. I just felt like you should have a confidence booster. After all, we don't want you getting lax in your training, now do we," asked the last loyal Uchiha rhetorically.

"Wow Sasuke, you're so cool. No one could ever beat you. You're the best," squealed Sakura.

"As fun as this is to watch, don't we have some training to do," reminded Kakashi in his usual bored voice.

"Right you are, sensei," stated Naruto excitedly. "Speaking of training, Sasuke and I mastered both exercises, so can we finally learn how to make Shadow Clones? Can we," asked Naruto.

"Well, I did say I would teach you it once you both learned the exercises, so I guess," agreed Kakashi reluctantly. 'Damn, I didn't think they would learn it in a week. A month, I could see, but a week?'

"Yes! We finally get to learn it, we finally get to learn it," sung Naruto happily whilst doing a little dance.

"Let's just hope you can actually do it, Loser," stated Sasuke with a smirk.

"Of course I can learn it, Bastard. You're the one I'm worried about. After all, who here as more than enough chakra," teased Naruto.

"Well enough of that. Do you wanna learn it or not," asked Kakashi, trying to end the arguing.

"Yes, we want to learn it," said Naruto and Sasuke simultaneously.

"Good, but first, Sakura, go train with my Shadow Clone," stated Kakashi as he made a Shadow Clone. Once she was gone, he continued, "Alright, then. Now, to teach you the hand seals. After all, what use is knowing how the theory if you don't know how to mold your chakra? Okay, so it's Tiger, Snake, and Ram." After demonstrating the hand signs as he said them, he let them practice for a few minutes before continuing.

"Now, when you're shaping your chakra for the jutsu, let it wrap around you like a cacoon, then push all of the chakra forward, or in whatever direction you want, at the same time. Though for simplicity's sake, we'll push it forward for now," elucidated Kakashi.

Sasuke was the first to try. He made the hand signs flawlessly, then there was a poof of smoke in front of him. Once it was cleared, there was nothing there.

"It seems like you succeeded in pushing all of the chakra out, just not all at once," stated the strange-haired man.

Naruto, seeing his friend's failed attempt, decided to try it for himself. Once he felt as if he was surrounded by his chakra, he pushed it all out. Once he felt it was all out, he waited. And waited. And waited. Soon, it was apparent that nothing would happen.

"Hn, you couldn't even make any smoke, Loser," mocked Sasuke.

"That's just because I have more chakra. I can't control it as well as you can, you Bastard," defended Naruto.

"Now, now, it doesn't matter who can do what now. This isn't a competition, it's learning something that could save your lives," berated Kakashi, though it was still with his lackadaisical manner. With that, the two Genin began trying to do the jutsu repeatedly, though Sasuke had to stop after some time as his reserves were getting low.

~~~Two Hours Later~~~

"Hooray! I got it! I got it," shouted Naruto happily. And it was true, as right across from him was an exact replica of him. It was him in every physical aspect, all the way down to the unique iris of Naruto's, and now the clone's, eyes.

"Damn, you already learned it," asked Sasuke in disbelief as he was currently resting against a tree.

"Of course I did, Bastard, I'm awesome," exclaimed the blonde.

"Very good, Naruto. How is your chakra doing," asked Kakashi.

"It feels fine. I could create hundreds more," boasted the Jinchuriki.

"Hn. Yeah right. I highly doubt that," said the Uchiha, not believing his teammate.

"Well you shouldn't. I can do it, no problem," proclaimed Naruto.

"Then let's see you do it." Surprisingly, it was Kakashi that made the request.

"Fine, I will," spoke the Uzumaki. And he did just that. After making the required hand seals, he molded his chakra, and sent out clones. Soon, the clearing was filled with about 300 blondes.

" **I told you I could do it, Bastard** ," stated the blondes, all speaking in sync.

Sasuke was speechless. He knew his friend had a lot of chakra due to his heritage and condition, but this was ridiculous. Even after two hours of practice, which was preceded by two hours of water walking, he still had enough chakra to make this many Shadow Clones. And they could all function normally. It was insane!

"Alright, Naruto. Enough showing off. And Sasuke, I think it's about time you get back to learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu," ordered Kakashi.

~~~2 Days Later~~~

Despite Sasuke being a prodigy, it took him another two days to master the Shadow Clone Jutsu as well as Naruto had due to his small chakra reserves. Well, small in comparison to Naruto. Even after the two days of practice, Sasuke could only make one clone that he could actually use to train with.

"I don't care if I can make hundreds, I'm only making one," stated an irate blonde.

"Naruto, think about this rationally. If you can cut the amount of time it takes to master something down to less than a day when otherwise it would have taken months, possibly even years, why wouldn't you take the opportunity," questioned a confused Kakashi. Usually his sensei's son would jump at the chance to master something so quickly. So why wasn't he now?

"If Sasuke can only make one to train with, then that's all I'm going to make. It wouldn't be fair if I used my insane amount of chakra to get a leg up on me. He wouldn't use his Sharingan like that," explained Naruto.

'So that's it. He doesn't want to leave his rival in the dust just because he has an advantage over him in the chakra department. It's quite noble, if not incredibly naive,' thought Kakashi. "Very well. I can't force you to use more Shadow Clones to train with."

"Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get started on that new jutsu you're teaching us," spoke a relieved Naruto before walking away. His sensei had been hounding him about upping the amount of Clones he was using to train. Before Sasuke had mastered the technique, he did use about 20 clones to continue the Water Walking exercise to increase his chakra control. While Naruto's Clones were increasing his control, Naruto himself had some questions he had been wondering since they were told about the exercise.

 _~~Flashback~~_

" _Hey Kakashi-sensei, I have a question," stated Naruto, getting his teacher's attention._

" _Yes, Naruto," came the reply._

" _So you know how we can walk on walls and water," asked Naruto. With Kakashi's head nod, he continued, "Well I was wondering if it's possible to walk on air. It'd be kinda like water, since all water is is a bunch of molecules, as is air."_

" _That's quite an astute observation, Naruto. But sadly, no, ninjas can not walk on air. It requires much more chakra than even you have. I believe that only Tailed Beasts have enough chakra to attach themselves to the air. Though that's just speculation. I've never actually seen a Tailed Beast walk on air," explained Kakashi._

" _Oh. Okay, sensei. Well I'll let you get back to your porn," spoke the blonde before walking away to continue training._

" _Hey, it's adult literature, not porn. And why do I feel the need to explain myself to you," Kakashi wondered to himself._

 _~~End Flashback~~_

Since then, the subject hadn't been brought up again, though Naruto vowed to ask the Nine-Tails about it if he ever met him. But until then, Naruto would continue to practice the jutsu he was currently working on. So, after going through the hand seals required, Naruto shouted out "Body Flicker Jutsu," and went up in smoke, only to appear in another plume of smoke five feet away.

 **Well, here's this. I finally finished it, despite the first third or so being written with last chapter. I didn't want you all to think that I would regularly put out 4000 word chapters. I'll probably stick with 2000 or so. Definitely not below 2000, though. I've actually been thinking about the walking on air thing for quite some time, but I never knew if it was possible. But, I just rewatched Road To Ninja, and the two Nine-Tails were running on air, so I figured only Tailed Beast could. Sorry if I'm going a bit slow with the training, I just wanted to get Sasuke and Naruto through learning the Shadow Clones, so now that that's done with, I'll probably have a time skip of about a month or so. Not quite sure yet. Well, that's it. Please Read and Review. Reviews are greatly appreciated.**


	9. Fruits of Labor

It had been a month since Naruto had learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Sasuke hadn't taken much longer, though, as expected, he could only create one compared to Naruto's as of yet unknown limit. Just like he said, Naruto hadn't used more than one clone to help with training once Sasuke had finally gotten the technique down. Though multiple people had tried to convince him otherwise many times, Sasuke being one of them. Naruto, though, would always refuse, saying it was an unfair advantage. Every time the blonde had said this, his Uchiha counterpart would just bring up his Sharingan. Naruto's response to that was a simple question, "Do you ever use your Sharingan to train?" The answer was obviously 'No', so it usually quieted Sasuke for a few days. After trying for almost two weeks, Sasuke finally gave up. Everyone else had given up long before then.

During their month of being a Genin, Team 7 had only done 15 D-rank missions. The reason for their limited number if missions is because they only did one every other day, mainly focusing on training. One part of training was the testing of their elemental affinity. Sakura had Earth Style as her affinity, Sasuke had Fire, and surprisingly Lightning Style, and Naruto had Wind, which was quite rare, and Water Style. There was another part of their training that was just as, if not more, important. This training had taken them nearly the entire month, but they had done the impossible. They had done what not even the son of the Third Hokage had thought undoable.

They had broken Sakura of her fangirlism.

It was a testament to how skilled a teacher Kakashi was. When she told them she was dieting to 'keep her figure', Kakashi upped their training, forcing her to intake more calories to function. Or at least, that had been the plan.

Despite the increase in physical labor, Sakura had still not taken to eating the proper amount, Kakashi had all but force fed her. Despite fearing for her figure, she couldn't deny how much more energized she felt. Therefore, she continued to eat the proper calories. Though only after she had been given to Kurenai Yuhi, Jonin of Team 8, for the day.

Eating right wasn't the only thing that contributed to her being a fangirl. The object of her affections was, obviously, the cause of her ways. This was solved by Kakashi locking them in a closet, albeit a spacious one, wouldn't want Sakura "accidentally" feeling up Sasuke, and forcing the two to have a mature talk.

Sasuke explained to her in no uncertain terms that he had no romantic feelings for anyone at the moment, let alone her. He told her that he had one goal at the moment, and one goal only. He conveniently left the specifics of said goal out of the conversation, though she could tell from the tone of his voice that it had nothing to do with romance. He did say, though, that once he finished his current goal, he would be looking to rebuild his clone, but only with strong Kunoichi. He even specifically stated that he would most likely have more than one wife. After all, it wouldn't do to only have a few kids before a single woman became tired of going through labor.

Surprisingly, this statement didn't really deter her in her quest for his affection. It did, however, change her way of how she would go about getting them. Instead of dolling herself up and trying to look attractive to him, she threw herself into training. Taking the dietary tips Kurenai had given, though Sakura was more inclined to say beaten in, to her, she rapidly progressed in her training. Much more than Sasuke or Naruto, though that was most likely due to her lacking any previous skill.

Other than breaking her of her fangirl ways, Sakura trained heavily in Taijutsu, which brought her up to par. She also learned an Earth Style technique, Mud Wall. This, as the name suggests, creates a mud wall through the expulsion of the wet earth from the user's mouth. Other than a Ninjutsu, Sakura also leaned a Genjutsu. This one was Demonic Illusion: Hell-Viewing Technique. This Genjutsu subjects the victim to their greatest fear, or shows them the image they least want to see.

Sasuke had improved quite a bit, especially with the use of his Shadow Clone. He learned everything, quite literally, twice as fast as he normally would. He quickly learned the Body Flicker technique, along with two more Fire Style techniques. He also increased the efficiency of he Taijutsu style. Although his clone couldn't retain muscle, muscle memory was a whole other topic. As it is, essentially, memory, the Shadow Clone has no problem with passing the knowledge it obtained unto it's creator.

Despite already being mid Genin level when he left the academy, he was now approaching high Genin level, though his reserves were easily Chunin level. This most likely stemmed from his Ninjutsu training. Although he didn't increase the size of his repertoire too much, all the training he put into it raised his reserves quite a bit.

Sasuke's battle Jutsu was at a total of seven. It would be eight, but Kakashi had expressly forbidden Sasuke from using the Shadow Clone Jutsu in battle. Along with his previously known jutsu, Fire Style:Great Fireball Jutsu and Fire Style:Phoenix Sage Fire, Sasuke also learned Fire Style:Flame Bullet and Fire Style:Dragon Fire. Great Fireball Jutsu shoots out a large fireball. Phoenix Sage Fire on the other hand, shoots out multiple small fireballs. Both of these use approximately the same amount of chakra, though Phoenix Sage Fire has more versatility. Flame Bullet, at its base form, which is about a foot in diameter, uses substantially less chakra than the other two, as it's basically a smaller Great Fireball. Dragon Fire is the oddity in Sasuke's new repertoire. Instead of a ball, or even a shape for that matter, this jutsu is just a stream of fire that is expelled from the user's mouth. Though Sasuke, being an Uchiha, excelled in Shurikenjutsu, and quickly thought of a way to use the two in conjunction.

By tying wire to shuriken, Sasuke could use the shuriken to wrap them around a target, restraining them in just the wire, or even against a vertical object such as a tree or rock. Sasuke could then place the wire in his mouth and use the wire to direct the Dragon Fire to his opponent, burning them.

Sasuke decided to use his Shadow Clone separate from his training. While he would work on one Jutsu, his Clone would work on another. Sometimes while he worked on his Jutsu, though, he would have the Clone work on increasing his Taijutsu. He didn't have a set schedule, so he just worked on whatever he felt needed the most work on that day.

Instead of delving into different kinds of Chakra-based techniques like his teammates, well, except for learning Wind Style: Gale Palm, which shoots a blast of condensed air from the hand, Though this did bring up his battle repertoire to four, as he was allowed to use Shadow Clones in battle/ Naruto decided to pick up a different type of technique. Kenjutsu. It wasn't even a planned out decision. It was more of a spur of the moment kind of thing.

Naruto and Sasuke had just got finished with training and were walking through the village together. They were much more use to Kakashi's style of training than they had been a month prior, therefore, they still had energy to peruse a few shops. It was at one one of these shops that Naruto saw a wakizashi that, for lack of a better term, _spoke_ to him.

When he saw it, it was out of its sheath. The handle was a nice red, a shade which he had seen somewhere, but couldn't exactly remember. The cloth strips that were wrapped around the handle were black, but still left plenty of the red to be seen. Unlike most wakizashis, or even japanese swords, for that matter, it didn't have a guard, so his hands wouldn't be as protected. That, however, didn't detract from the lure, or at least to Naruto it didn't. The blade was a dark gray that marked it as Chakra-conductive. The sheath of the sword itself matched the cloth wrappings of the handle.

It was love at first sight. When he saw how much it was, his heart almost broke from the price. It was nearly the cost of a B-rank mission pay. He had about half that, so the next day when they were at team training, Naruto begged Kakashi to take them on some of the harder D-rank missions. Since they only took missions every other day, It took Naruto three days before he had the necessary funds. On the third day after their mission when they broke for lunch, Naruto rushed straight to that store, Random Shinobi Store, and bought the Wakizashi.

Once the sword was paid for, and after suggesting to the owner that they change the name of their shop, Naruto met back up with the rest of his team.

That day, Naruto asked for some scrolls on Kenjutsu from Kakashi. Since he couldn't just up and leave in the middle of training, Kakashi promised to bring some the next day. Once he received the scrolls, Naruto took to his Kenjutsu training with renewed vigor. He was in no way a master after only a few weeks, but he felt he could utilize it as well as he could a kunai. Naruto, unlike Sasuke, focused on one thing at a time. The first few days, he focused on his Taijutsu, as did his clone. Though once he got his wakizashi, he and his clone practiced with it for the first week, then he worked on the Jutsu Kakashi had shown him. The week after that was his Taijutsu once more, and for the final week of the month, he practiced his Kenjutsu again.

It was after this month of training that Kakashi asks the Hokage for a different kind of mission.

"Ah, Kakashi and Team 7. Here for another mission," asked the aged Hokage.

"Yes, Lord Hokage. But today, I was hoping you could give us a C-rank mission," informed Kakashi, much to the delight of his Genin.

"Really now? They've only been Genin for a month, are you sure they're ready," inquired Hiruzen.

"Without a doubt. All three have risen above my expectations of them," declared Kakashi.

"Very well. What mission would you like? We have a merchant that's looking to be escorted to Shihon City, there is a large tiger that escaped the Training Ground 44 and is skulking around the surrounding area, there is a small bandit camp that is terrorizing merchants nearby, and there is an ostrich that has run away from its owner. These are, of course, the easier C-ranks," the Third Hokage explained.

'We'll take the bandit mission," Kakashi decided.

The Third looked surprised. He then asked, "Are you sure? There's almost a guarantee they'll be Blooded on this mission?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage. That is exactly why I took it. I would prefer for this to happen while I'm nearby in case they freeze up. If it was a large bandit camp, I most likely would have chosen the escort mission," spoke the Jonin.

"Very well then. Here are the mission details," Hiruzen said this as he handed the scroll to Kakashi. "I expect you all to leave within the hour. You're all dismissed"

"Yes, Lord Hokage," spoke three of the four ninja there. The fourth one, though..

"Alrighty, Old Man. We'll get this done in no time. See you later," spoke Naruto loudly before leaving. All the Hokage did was chuckle.

"Alright, team," Kakashi began once they left the tower and he had read the scroll. "We';l meet at the gate at 11:00, don't be late. Pack for a three night trip and the usual C-rank supplies."

"Yes, Sensei," spoke the Genin, this time all of them. With that, they all went to their separate homes and began packing for their first excursion out of the village.

"Good, you're all here, and early at that," spoke Kakashi.

"Of course we are! This is our first mission,"shouted an excited Naruto.

"No it's not, Loser. We've had multiple missions before this," Sasuke pointed out.

"Those weren't missions, those were chores. This is a real mission," declared Naruto.

"Alright, that's enough," interrupted Kakashi before they could argue any more. "You may want to take this a bit more seriously, Naruto. This may be your first time out of the village, but it is also your first look into the real world of the Shinobi. This is the mission you will get Blooded,"

At this, all three Genin paled a little. They were well aware of what that term meant. There were countless stories told in the academy of how Genin would freeze up after their first kill and die at the hands of an opportunistic enemy. They all knew they would have to kill at some point, but they never knew it would be so soon after the academy.

"A-are you sure we should be doing it so early? We just left the academy," Sakura pointed out.

"I know it's a bit early for you three. Most teams don't get Blooded until almost a year after their graduation. I don't even think Guy's students have been Blooded," stated Kakashi, much to his Genin's surprise.

Over the course of the last month, Teams 7 and 9 have done several joint training sessions at the behest of Guy to see how well he his 'Eternal Rival' has trained his Genin. They all thought Guy and Lee were fairly nice, if not very weird, Tenten was also a nice person to speak to, and she loved talking to Naruto about his sword. Neji, on the other hand, had been unanimously voted as the largest prick any of them had ever met. He went on and on about Fate and how he was 'fated' to beat every single one of them in combat. Though all of their spars were interrupted due to how serious they got.

"And you actually think we should be Blooded already? We've been a Genin for a fraction of the time they have." Naruto was a bit confused as to why they were going to have their first kills so soon.

"Yes, I do. Now let's get a move on. Lord Hokage said within the hour, and we're pushing that," Kakashi instructed. With that, they all left for the bandit camp.

A few hours later finds Team 7 scouting out the nearby bandit camp. The sun was well on its descent, but they still had a few hours of sunlight to watch their targets.

"Okay team, what do you see," asked the Jonin of the group through the radio.

"There are around 10 tents around one large tent," began Sakura through her mic.

"There are also 20 bandits, two for each tent, and one leader, he resides in the large tent," continued Sasuke into his piece.

"At any one time, they have four guards, one for each direction, though they don't have guard towers. This seems to be hastily put together," finished Naruto.

"Very good. All of you are quite perceptive. But can any of you tell me what you missed?" All the Genin were confused at this, as they thought they had covered everything.

"Damn, we missed the hostages," realized Sakura.

"Right you are, Sakura," congratulated Kakashi. "They have a cage full women. It is pretty hard to see, especially from where you boys are positioned."

"Now that we're done with our observations, let's all meet back up at the appointed area, Gray out," ordered Kakashi, using his codename. The Genin then followed his example.

"Pink out."

"Black out."

"Yellow out."

It then took just over ten minutes for them all to meet back up. Kakashi took the longest, as he was on the other side of the camp.

"Okay, we're all here. Now, let's start planning." As Kakashi spoke, he started drawing a circle before putting multiple X's, a smaller circle in the middle, and a square near the smaller circle. He then continued, "As I'm sure each of you can guess, these are the small tents," Kakashi pointed to the X's as he said this, "this is the big tent," the smaller circle, "and this is the cage of women." the square.

"So what's the plan," asked Sasuke. "How do we take out the bandits?"

"I was hoping you could tell me that," Kakashi shot back.

"What? Why don't you make the plan," asked Sasuke.

"You each will have to make plans and strategies at some point in your career. I just figured the sooner you start, the easier it'll be," explained the man with strange hair.

"But what if my plan is bad and it gets everyone killed," asked Sasuke with trepidation.

"Don't worry, I will be adjusting your plan where it is required. I wouldn't send you all in with a faulty plan," Kakashi said. "Now, get started on that plan. And keep in mind it's just you three, I'll be here in case you need help, but I won't be and actual factor in your plan." With that, Sasuke began making a plan. It took him about thirty minutes before he felt that he had a plan that was able to get the job done.

"Okay, so here is the plan," began Sasuke.

Night was well underway. The moon was nowhere in sight, but it had to be around two in the morning. After having been on watch for the past six hours with nothing to do, the guards were all starting to get tired. Nothing interesting ever happened at night. Who would even attack this late? It's not like anyone even knew they were there.

'Why do we have to-' Before the guard could finish his thought, his head was severed from his body. The first stage of Sasuke's plan was now in effect.

Within the first five minutes, the guards were taken out. Since there were four and they only had three operatives at their disposal, Naruto had to create a Shadow Clone to take out the extra watchman. They all froze for almost ten seconds before they shook themselves out of it. They had a job to do.

They each began their own missions anew. The bandits didn't have any ninja, so Naruto just made four Shadow Clones and sent them off to take out his section of bandits. They each had seven hostiles to take out, and since Naruto already took out two, he only had five left. He decided to take the one he did himself out with his wakizashi, feeling like it needed to be blooded just as much as he did. After he killed the man, he received his clones' memories. He felt like the demon sealed inside of him. Naruto soon collapsed, hugging his knees to his torso.

Since Sasuke was the leader of this mission, he felt it was his duty to take out the leader of the bandits, just in case he was stronger than the others. With permission from Kakashi, he made a Shadow Clone to go take out his other targets while he took out the lead bandit. Luckily for him, the leader was also asleep and didn't seem to notice them. With a quick slice to the man's throat, blood gushed from his Carotid Artery and onto Sasuke's hands. It was at that moment that the Uchiha received the memories from his clone and had to run over to a nearby waste basket to vomit.

Unlike her two teammates, Sakura didn't have the ability to create Shadow Clones. Therefore, she had to keep moving even when she wanted to break down. But once she finished killing the last sleeping bandit, she collapsed and started bawling. She stayed in this state for almost an hour. Nothing her teammates, though it did take some time for them to get their after their own reactions, or sensei said to her got through. Finally, she pulled herself together and they soon set out, Kakashi having taken over Sakura's duty of setting the captured women once he saw the state she was in.

With the mission complete, Team 7 set off back to the Hidden Leaf, all of them wanting to sleep in their own beds after the ordeal they just went through.

 **I finished another chapter. Yay! Though this did take over a month, sorry about that. Half of this is just talking about their previous month of training, and the other half is a pretty boring mission. This all together was a pretty bad chapter, so sorry about that.**

 **Onto other news, I'm thinking about starting a new Naruto story. I have an idea for three separate ones. Ones is where Kushina lives, becomes strong to protect Naruto, and becomes the Fifth Hokage. I have quite few idea on this one, lots of deaths and the like. Then I have a story idea of Naruto having two Tailed Beasts sealed inside of him. I don't have much for this one, but I still think it's a pretty interesting idea. The final idea I have, though it's not original, I just want to try my hand at it, is Naruto is born five years earlier, is a prodigy, and is friends with Itachi. Like usual, he has a younger brother that is the Jinchuriki and his parents are alive, though in this, they don't neglect him. Anyways, I want to ask you all which one I should do.**

 **Until next time, R &R.**


End file.
